In 2011 an epidemic of non-communicable disease spread fast among women, surrounded by myths and misconceptions that hinder both prevention and treatment. Today non-communicable diseases (NCDs) namely diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic respiratory disease are the leading cause of death in women globally, killing a staggering 18 million women each year.1
Diabetes is emerging as a global public health crisis. Recent statistics suggest that the incidence and prevalence of diabetes are rising at alarming rates. It is estimated that the world prevalence of diabetes amongst adults in 2010 was 6.4%, affecting 285 million people.
Models suggest that the prevalence in 2030 will reach 7.7%, affecting 439 million people. This is not equally distributed with the largest increase in diabetic patients being observed in developing countries where the prevalence may rise by almost 70%. More sobering is that these numbers do not account for pre-diabetic patients who, in the absence of intervention, are at high risk of progressing to overt diabetes. In some countries, such as China, this at risk population may be as large as 15%.
