Hotspots for type 2 diabetes

New NHS data has revealed that prescriptions in England for type 2 diabetes have risen by a third, from 26 million to 35 million a year, in the last five years.

Diabetes UK has said that it is good that the disease is being diagnosed, with hopes for getting patients to ‘manage their condition better’ the next progressive step.

The data also highlighted variations across the country, with hotspots for the disease in London and Lincolnshire. For example, the London Borough of Newham having twice the national average of prescriptions. The Boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Harrow were also in the top 10 prescribing areas.

Additionally, Lincolnshire occupies two of the top three highest prescribing areas in the country - in East Lindsey and South Holland. The other regions in the top 10 include Tendring in Essex, Nuneaton and Bedworth and North Warwickshire, Oldham and Sunderland.

Analysis of the data also showed that the prescribing of second line drugs, used when a patients condition is worsening, has doubled in five years. However, more analysis of this data was needed to see whether this meant people were actually becoming more ill.

There are estimated to be 3.5 million adults with type 2 diabetes in the UK, with the current rate of growth suggesting that there will be five million people with the disease in 2020.

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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