Diabetes in Canada
HIGHLIGHTS
Prevalence
- Current national survey data indicate that 1.2 to 1.4 million
Canadians aged 12 and over may have diabetes, although only about
800,000 of these are diagnosed cases.
- The prevalence of diabetes increases with age: 3% of people
aged 35 to 64 and 10% of those aged 65 and over have this
diagnosis.
- The age-standardized prevalence of diabetes among Aboriginal
peoples is approximately triple the rate found in the general
population. The age-standardized prevalence rate of diagnosed
diabetes among Aboriginal peoples aged 15 and over is 10% and among
those over 65 years of age it is 22.8%.
Incidence
- Diabetes is diagnosed in an estimated 60,000 Canadians every
year.
Disability and Work Loss
- Diabetes is associated with more frequent disability days and
increased loss of productivity. Among the working age population
(35 to 64 years), 23% of people with diabetes had one or more
disability days in a two-week period, compared with only 11% of
those without diabetes. Note that disability days are not
diabetes-specific.
Health Care Utilization
- The current (1995) age-standardized rates (standardized to 1991
Canadian population) for diabetes are 112 hospital separations and
1,368 hospital days per 100,000 per year (crude rates for 1995: 115
hospital separations and 1,427 hospital days per 100,000 per
year).
- In the age group 65 and above, 24% of people with diabetes
reported at least one overnight stay in a hospital, nursing home or
convalescent home during the previous 12 months compared with 14%
of those without diabetes.
- Home care use in the previous one-year period is nearly twice
as high among people aged 65 and older who have diabetes (16%) as
among those without diabetes (9%).
Mortality
- There were 5,447 deaths in 1996 for which diabetes was
certified as the underlying cause. This ranks diabetes as the
seventh leading cause of death in Canada. However, the actual
number of deaths for which diabetes was a contributing factor is
probably five times this number.
- Age-standardized annual mortality rates (standardized to 1991
Canadian population) for diabetes have increased since the early
1980s, with the current (1996) rate at 16.8 per 100,000
population.
- Approximately 25,000 Potential Years of Life Lost (PYLL) were
lost as a result of diabetes prior to age 75 in 1996, representing
an age-standardized rate of 85 per 100,000 population. Since 1983
there has been an increase in the age-standardized PYLL due to
diabetes.
- Projections in diabetes mortality trends into the year 2016
show an exponential increase in the number of deaths due to
diabetes among males and a more linear increase among females.
Economic Burden
- The economic burden of diabetes and its complications in Canada
is estimated to be up to $9 billion (US) annually in direct health
care costs and indirect costs, including lost productivity due to
diabetes-related illness and premature death.
Obesity: A Modifiable Risk Factor for
Diabetes
- The majority of people (59%) with diabetes aged 35 to 64 are
overweight.
Long-Term Complications
- In the 35 to 64 age group, people with diabetes have six times
the risk of heart disease or stroke as do people without diabetes;
in the 65 and over age group they have twice the risk.
- Among people over 65 years of age there is a significantly
higher prevalence of permanent vision loss, cataracts, and glaucoma
among those with diabetes than those without.
- The percentage of new cases of kidney failure due to diabetes
increased from 16% in 1981 to 28% in 1996; 3,340 people with
diabetes were receiving treatment for kidney failure as of
December, 1996.
Prevention Opportunities
- Research is needed into the prevention and treatment of obesity
and physical inactivity, the two most important modifiable risk
factors for Type 2 diabetes.
- Tight control of blood sugar levels can significantly decrease
rates of microvascular complications (eye disease and kidney
disease). Macrovascular complications (such as heart disease and
stroke) can be significantly decreased in Type 2 diabetes through
effective blood sugar and blood pressure control.
- More funding support is needed into the causes of Type 1
diabetes (usually with onset in those under age 40) in search of a
cure.
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