Out of four diabetes patients, it is found that three fail to control their blood sugar levels. Managing diabetes is not solely reliant on treatment, as lifestyle improvements such as quitting smoking and weight management are essential.
On the occasion of World Diabetes Day on the 14th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency revealed the current status of diabetes management. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by insufficient insulin production or the failure of normal insulin function. If not detected early and properly managed, it may lead to various complications such as stroke, myocardial infarction, chronic kidney disease, or even death.
According to Statistics Korea’s 2023 mortality statistics, diabetes ranks as the seventh leading cause of death in the country. As of 2021, the prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 30 and above was 16.3%, estimating that approximately 6 million people suffer from the disease in Korea. Including prediabetic conditions (fasting blood sugar levels between 100-125 mg/dL or hemoglobin A1c levels between 5.7-6.4%), 63.0% (22.95 million people) of those aged 30 and above require management.
Therefore, medical expenses due to diabetes amounted to about 3 trillion won in 2022, ranking second only to hypertension. However, the control rate, which indicates the proportion of diabetic patients with hemoglobin A1c levels below 6.5%, was 24.4% during 2019-2022, a decrease from 28.3% in 2016-2018.
A diabetes control rate of only 24.4% suggests that about three out of four diabetic patients fail to manage their blood sugar levels adequately. It was observed that male smokers had 1.32 times poorer control of their hemoglobin A1c levels compared to non-smokers, and obese women had 1.41 times poorer control than those of normal weight. High carbohydrate intake was also identified as a major factor hindering diabetes management.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency emphasized, “Improving diabetes control is limited by only increasing the treatment rate, so lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, implementing dietary management, and weight control are essential.”