Chronic Disease Spiral

　　Han Hongying， 59， remembers the numbingshock when she was diagnosed as a diabetic 15 years ago.“I was scared by the lingering pain the disease will bringto me and my family，” Han， a retired worker in Beijing， toldChinAfrica.

　　Her biggest fear was the thought of battling thischronic disease for the rest of her life. Danger of complicationslike amputation， blindness， renal failure as well ascardiovascular diseases persisted in her mind. “The lifelongtreatment will cost a large sum of money and may destroyme psychologically，” said Han.

　　Han’s experience mirrors those of millions of Chinesediabetics. A finding about the high prevalence of diabetesin Chinese adults published in the Journal of the AmericanMedical Association on September 3， 2013， raisedconcerns among the public about the disease and itsimplications on the nation’s economy. The study showsthat about 11.6 percent of Chinese adults have diabetes，meaning that more than 100 million Chinese adults sufferfrom the disease. About 50.1 percent of adults are prediabeticpatients， but only 30.1 percent are aware of theirillness.

　　The study also noted that this data suggests thatdiabetes in the Chinese population has reached the alertlevel and a major epidemic of diabetic complications，such as cardiovascular disease， stroke and chronic kidneydisease will erupt in China in the near future if there is nodirect intervention from the government.

　　Rich lifestyle downside

　　Hang Jianmei is not surprised at the findings. As a medicalprofessional specializing in diabetes prevention， she hasseen an alarming number of patients succumb to thedisease because of an affluent lifestyle.

　　“The epidemic of diabetes is the byproduct of China’seconomic prosperity. The well-off lifestyle that manyChinese pursue today is the greatest threat to theirhealth，” Hang， Director of Beijing Jianheng DiabetesHospital， told ChinAfrica.

　　She noted that as Chinese people become moreaffluent， they eat more high protein and fatty foods.People live in a fast-paced stressful societywhere technology and machines have takenover many physical tasks.

　　“The lifestyle of eating too much， but exercisingless means more people are putting onweight， which in turn damages insulin [production]in the body，” said Hang. “Without enoughinsulin， sugar cannot be transformed into energy andaccumulates in the blood. When the sugar in the bloodreaches a certain level， people may get diabetes.”

　　What makes it worse， the disease， more prevalentin seniors， is now spreading to younger people as theobesity rate of Chinese youth rises. A report released inObesity Reviews by International Association for the Studyof Obesity earlier this year showed that 12 percent of Chinesechildren are overweight and 1.9 percent of teenagersin the 12 to 18 age group， about 1.7 million， have diabetes.This is four times more than their U.S. peers. About 14.9percent exhibit pre-diabetic symptoms.

　　“The high prevalence means the public should paymore attention to diabetes and its implications on economicdevelopment，” said Hang.

　　Economic impact

　　The nation’s health system is bearing the brunt as it has tocover the expense of treating diabetic patients. “Even withoutcomplications， the daily cost for recuperation amountsto 800 to 1，000 yuan ($131 to 164) at least，” said Hang.

　　The Chinese Society of Diabetes under the ChineseMedical Association and International Diabetes Federationjointly conducted a survey on 1，920 samplediabetic patients to examine the economic implicationof the disease in 2010. The survey estimatedthat the annual cost for treating diabetes nationwidewas 173.4 billion yuan ($28.5 billion)， taking up 13percent of the nation’s total medical expenditure.

　　And the frequency of using medical services bydiabetic patients is three to four times that ofnon-diabetic patients. It also predicted thatthe figure would rise drastically in the next 10to 20 years.

　　“People will lose the ability to work whenthey become disabled because of diabeticcomplications. This will in turn undermine the productivityof the whole society，” said Hang.

　　She said that as more and more farmers becomewealthy during the urbanization shift， the prevalenceof diabetes is also rising in rural areas where the level ofhealth care and people’s awareness of a healthy lifestyle iswell below their urban counterparts.

　　“In China， the rural population makes up the majorityof the workforce. The consequences of losing a workforcebecause of diabetes and its complications will be catastrophicto the nation’s economy，” said Hang.

　　Prevention network

　　Hang believes that the results showing more than 100million Chinese adults suffer from diabetes should putthe prevention of chronic disease like diabetes at thetop of the government’s agenda. “It is not only a medicalissue but a comprehensive one vital to the nation’s futuredevelopment，” she said.

　　The prevention and treatment of diabetes gained nationalpolicy support on May 8， 2012， when the nation issueda work plan for prevention and treatment of chronicdiseases in China (2012-15). The plan is set to enable 50percent of adults above the age of 35 to know their bloodglucose levels， and to put 40 percent of diabetic patientsunder regular treatment by 2015. More than 80 percentof hospitals and health clinics in rural areas can conductblood glucose monitoring by that time.

　　Non-governmental organizations have also joined inthe ranks of diabetes prevention by advising people tolead a healthier life， said Hang.

　　“It has been proven that intervention in people’slifestyle at an early stage is an effective way to preventdiabetes，” she said， adding that the current educationon prevention of diabetes in communities should be expandedto children， the white-collar professionals as wellas the rural population.

　　“The whole society is not well aware of the damagebrought by chronic disease. There should be a completenetwork to effectively prevent and treat the disease，” saidHang.

　　In one way Han is lucky not to have contracted anycomplications from her diabetes. She attributes this tostrict self-control on pursuing a healthy lifestyle. “Besideskeeping on a diet， I have been sticking to an exercise routinesince I was diagnosed as a diabetic 15 years ago andlost about 10 kg at least [in the process]，” said Han.

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