Report from the National Diabetes Surveillance System: Diabetes in Canada, 2008

Executive Summary

Diabetes:

• Diabetes is a chronic condition that stems from the body's inability to produce and/or properly use insulin. The body needs insulin to use sugar as an energy source. Diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death. However, if someone has diabetes, steps can be taken to control the disease and lower the risk of complications.

National Diabetes Surveillance System (NDSS):

• The National Diabetes Surveillance System (NDSS) is a network of provincial and territorial diabetes surveillance systems. It was created to improve the breadth of information about the burden of diabetes in Canada so that policymakers, researchers, health practitioners, and the general public could make better public and personal health decisions. The NDSS includes federal, and all provincial and territorial governments, non-governmental organizations, national Aboriginal groups, and researchers.

NDSS Highlights:

• In 2005-2006, approximately 1.9 million Canadians, or about one in 17 people had been diagnosed with diabetes - 5.9% overall - 5.5% of girls and women and 6.2 % of boys and men.
• In 2005-2006, the prevalence¹ of diagnosed diabetes was lower among children and adolescents than adults. The rates increased with age from about 2% in individuals in their 30's to about 22%, or 1 in 5, in adults aged 75 to 79 years old.
• After adjusting² for differences in age distributions among provinces and territories, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was generally found to be highest in the Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador) and was lowest in the west (Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia). The prevalence for Ontario was higher than the national average, and for Quebec, prevalence was lower than the national average. (Figure 2) Provincial and territorial obesity prevalence, followed a similar pattern; higher in the Atlantic provinces and lower in the western provinces.
• The age-standardized prevalence of diagnosed diabetes has increased by about 22% between 2001-2002 and 2005-2006.
• By 2011, the number of Canadians with diagnosed diabetes is expected to be about 2.6 million - an average annual percent increase of almost 7% and an increase of about 33% from 2006.
• In 2005-2006, 199,471 individuals were newly diagnosed with diabetes - a rate of 6.4 per 1,000 population aged 1 and older, overall, and 5.9 per 1,000 among girls and women and 6.8 per 1,000 among boys and men.
• There is an increased risk of developing diabetes over age 40. The entrance of the baby boom generation into the older age groups, and the rise in the prevalence of obesity, are associated with the rise in the diagnosed diabetes prevalence and incidence rates. In addition, age-standardized prevalence is climbing at 3 times the rate of age-standardized incidence rates, indicating that the increase in prevalence is due, also in part, to improved survival among individuals with diabetes.
• In 2005-2006, among adults aged 20 years and older, death rates of individuals with diabetes were twice as high as those in individuals without diabetes.
• Diagnosed diabetes shortens life expectancy for all ages. For example, both men and women in the 25 to 39 year age groups with diagnosed diabetes had about a 9 year reduction in life expectancy in 2005-2006.
• In 2005-2006, younger adults (aged 20 to 49) with diagnosed diabetes had about twice as many visits to family physicians and 2 to 3 times more visits to specialists than individuals without diabetes. Even in the oldest age groups, individuals with diagnosed diabetes visited physicians about 1.5 times more often than individuals without diabetes.
• In 2005-2006, compared to adults without diabetes, adults with diagnosed diabetes were hospitalized:
  • 23 times more often with lower limb amputations;
  • 7 times more often with chronic kidney disease;
  • 3 times more often with overall cardiovascular disease including, hypertensive disease, heart failure, heart attack, ischaemic heart disease, and stroke.

1. The proportion of individuals that are affected by diagnosed diabetes at a given point in time.
2. For a more detailed explanation of the age-standardization technique, refer to the methods for this report on the NDSS website: www.ndss.gc.ca.