NICE estimates there are approximately 3.8 million people with diabetes in the UK, of which 90% have type 2.5 Five million people in England are also thought to be at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.1

NHS Digital’s National Diabetes Audit is one of the largest annual clinical audits in the world, integrating data from both primary and secondary care sources. In March 2015, it recorded 171,678 people with type 1 diabetes and 1,863,871 people with type 2 and other diabetes, in England and Wales.6,7

Analysis of the NDA data for complications and mortality associated with diabetes shows “the risk of cardiovascular complication is 3.5-4.5 times greater for people with type 1 diabetes and 2-2.5 times greater for people with type 2 diabetes” compared to the general population. In addition: 7

·       observed rates in people with diabetes compared to the general population found that angina occurs 2.71 times more in people with type 2 diabetes, and heart failure occurs in 2.74 times as many.

·       stroke is recorded in 3.45 times as many people with type 1 diabetes, and twice as many people with type 2 diabetes, compared to the general population.

·       myocardial infarction and heart failure is more than four times more common in type 1 diabetes than the general population.

The report also notes: “Although deaths from vascular disease are declining year on year, there is still a higher percentage of deaths due to vascular disease in people with diabetes than cancer.” In 2015, 33.4 per cent of deaths in people with diabetes was due to vascular disease, compared to the 24.4 per cent of deaths due to cancer. In the general population, deaths due to vascular disease is 28.5 per cent and due to cancer 28.0 per cent.7

The NHS DPP points out that one in six of all people in hospital have diabetes. “While diabetes is often not the reason for admission, they often need a longer stay in hospital, are more likely to be re admitted and their risk of dying is higher.”1