IBGE recently released the results of the 2022 Census, indicating that Brazil’s population is made up of 203,080,756 people. This also indicates that the estimate for the number of people with diabetes in Brazil would be approximately 20 million, since the latest Vigitel, a survey on a representative sample of the Brazilian population carried out by the Ministry of Health, showed that, in the set of 27 capitals surveyed, the frequency of self-reported diagnosis of diabetes was 10.2%.
The IDF – International Diabetes Federation, an entity that brings together more than 240 diabetes associations in more than 161 countries and territories, also estimates that the prevalence of diabetes in Brazil is 10.5%.
Among the types of diabetes, the majority (90%) are Type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body is unable to adequately use the insulin it produces (called insulin resistance), or does not produce enough insulin to control the rate of insulin. glycemia. It is known that resistance to insulin action is the basis for changes in glycemic control in type 2 diabetes and its main risk factors are obesity, unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity. This type of diabetes appears more frequently in adults, but with the increase in cases of obesity in children and adolescents, cases of type 2 diabetes have also been recorded among younger people. Depending on the severity, it can be controlled with physical activity and dietary planning. In other cases, it requires the use of medications to control glucose, and the use of insulin may be necessary in some situations.
Type 1 diabetes (5% to 10% of the total) occurs in people with a genetic predisposition, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks beta cells, which are those cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Therefore, little or no insulin is released into the body and glucose accumulates in the blood, as there is no insulin to make it enter the body’s cells and be used as energy. Type 1 usually appears in childhood or adolescence, but can be diagnosed in adults as well. This variety is always treated with insulin, meal planning and physical activity, to help control blood glucose levels.
Also according to the IDF, Brazil ranks 6th in the world among the countries with the most people with diabetes in general and 3rd place when it comes to Type 1 diabetes.
According to doctor Bianca de Almeida Pititto, coordinator of Epidemiology at the Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Health Economics and Advocacy of the Brazilian Diabetes Society (SBD), those most affected by diabetes are women. “According to Vigitel, 11.1% of women are affected, while only 9.1% of men have the condition.” But it reinforces that the increase in both sexes is quite significant over the years. In the first version of this national survey (Vigitel), in 2006, the prevalence of diabetes was 6.3% in women and 4.6% in men. According to her, it is important to note that the prevalence of diabetes increases with age and decreases with the level of education in both sexes.
“In the face of such significant numbers, SBD has an important role, which is to fight for everyone to have access to the health network and adequate treatment”, explains the entity’s president, Dr. Ruy Lyra. “That’s why one of our goals is to reduce the difference between the treatment offered in public and private health networks”, he explains. “In the public service, although there is already improvement, unfortunately there is a shortage of free medicines, which are not always as efficient as those sold,” he says. “That is why our proposal, together with the government and especially the Ministry of Health, is that SUS patients have access to the same medicines and supplies that are available in the private network.”
It is also important to mention that, according to the IDF, around 1 in 3 people with diabetes do not know they have the disease, since the symptoms of diabetes can take a long time to appear (very thirsty, urinating too much, blurred vision, weight loss). Considering this information, the number of diabetes in the country may be even higher.
In this way, in addition to access to diabetes treatment, SBD reinforces the importance of strategies for early identification of people with diabetes and prevention of the disease, aiming to reduce long-term harm to health and society resulting from the complications and costs of diabetes. .
