Primary prevention of type-2 diabetes in developing countries

Although diabetes is now a worldwide epidemic, the rate of increase in its prevalence in developing countries is alarming. By the year 2025, more than three-quarters of all persons with diabetes will reside in developing countries. India and China are leading this surge in diabetes, and sub-Saharan Africa is currently at a lower prevalence rate. However, the estimated increase is substantial among African descendants in the Americas, West Indies and throughout the diaspora. There are compelling reasons why aggressive efforts must be directed toward primary prevention of diabetes in developing countries. Once diabetes develops, the cost of caring for patients is prohibitive. Poorly managed diabetes leads to several complications (e.g., end-stage renal failure, blindness, amputation and heart disease) that many developing countries are ill equipped to tackle. In landmark trials, lifestyle modification approaches are more efficacious than expensive medications in the prevention of diabetes. This is fortunate because lifestyle modification can be implemented locally, whereas medications often need to be imported at high cost. The first task is the education of policymakers on the urgent need for timely action to prevent the looming epidemic of diabetes. Once governments become convinced of its critical value, the translation of diabetes prevention through dietary modification and increased physical activity would require careful planning, extensive piloting and creativity in the allocation of scant resources. External support, foreign aid, debt forgiveness and other forms of creative financing will almost certainly be needed to implement widespread diabetes prevention programs in developing countries.