Introduction to the Condition
Diabetes mellites is a chronic illness that affects the body’s insulin level. It is a global issue of healthcare practice since more and more people are affected by this illness. According to the National Diabetes Services Scheme (2023), 1,502,615 people registered to have diabetes of different types as of March 31st, 2023. Both worldwide and in Australia, the reasons for diabetes are similar: an aging population, a sedentary lifestyle, and obesity.
Prevalence and Incidence in Australia
Diabetes is also connected with higher death rates since it can lead to other serious diseases, such as nerve damage, cardiovascular ailments, or renal issues. Furthermore, there are various cases of hospitalization of people with diabetes that other illnesses can cause. The study of diabetes hospitalization in Australia over the 2010-2019 period reported an average of 70,000 hospitalization cases, with population prevailed in different complications, such as stroke or heart failure (Morton et al., 791). Although there is no specific data on the mortality rate, most cases are held within complications led by diabetes, but not the illness alone.
Person, Place, and Time Factors
It is more likely for older people to get type II diabetes, while younger individuals are prone to type I diabetes. According to National Diabetes Services Scheme (2023), older people over 60 take up most diabetes cases, with over a million up to 2023 data. However, the spread of types of diabetes among age groups differs, as the average age for diabetes type I to be diagnosed is 22, while the average age for type II Is 58 years old (Morton et al., 2023). At the same time, the given research does not identify gender differences.
The incidence rate of diabetes varies by location in Australia, but it usually tends to be more common in urban than rural areas. Furthermore, data can vary within the region; in Queensland and Victoria, data differed within the rate at private and public hospitals (Morton et al., 2022). In addition, there were more changes in diabetes complications, such as heart failure, in Queensland, while Victoria experienced stable data for a decade.
People are now less inclined to exercise, and developments in medical technologies enable better identification of illness at an early stage. These changes led to the outbreak of diabetes in more developed countries, such as Australia. The number of instances is continuously rising due to the rise in heart failure cases and other diabetes-related comorbidities.
Consequences and Burden of Disease
Overall, diabetes mellitus is assessed using metrics for disability-adjusted life worldwide (Lazzarini et al., 20180. Australia also uses these metrics, which are more available in urban areas with better healthcare facilities. According to the Australian Burden of Disease Report (2022), Australians lost over five million years (DALY) due to illnesses that also include diabetes. In this sense, diabetes also increased over the years as the leading cause of lost years due to illnesses.
References
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2022) Australian Burden of Disease Study 2022. Web.
Lazzarini, P. A., Pacella, R. E., Armstrong, D. G., & van Netten, J. J. (2018). Diabetes-related lower-extremity complications are a leading cause of the global burden of disability. Diabetic Medicine, 35(9), 1297-1299.
Morton, J. I., Lazzarini, P. A., Shaw, J. E., & Magliano, D. J. (2022). Trends in the incidence of hospitalization for major diabetes-related complications in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Australia, 2010–2019. Diabetes Care, 45(4), 789-797. Web.
National Diabetes Services Scheme. (2023). All Types of Diabetes Snapshot. Web.