Women and Diabetes: A Global Perspective

Women and Diabetes: A Global Perspective

The epidemic of diabetes is now worldwide. Diabetes affects 347 million people and this number is projected to reach 438 million by the year 2030. According to the World Health Organization(WHO), diabetes caused 1.3 million deaths worldwide in 2008. Diabetes increases the risk of both heart disease and stroke. The risk of death for people with diabetes is about twice as high as than that for people without diabetes. The cost of diabetes ranges from 0.4% to 2.3% of GDP in some countries in the world.