The push to include put diabetes at the heart of Europe’s election manifestos

In a bid to build political impetus to improve the lives of people living with diabetes in the EU, the European Diabetes Forum has launched a new ‘Diabetes Community Pledge’ to rally political parties ahead of the 2024 European Elections.

The pledge, developed by a broad coalition of organisations working in the field of diabetes, aims to influence the political agenda on behalf of the 32 million people living with diabetes in the European Union, and on behalf of their families. The objective is to create a strong EU diabetes policy framework supportive of national diabetes structures.

Euractiv spoke with Stefano Del Prato, Chair of the EU Diabetes Forum (EUDF) about how people with diabetes can potentially live longer, more fulfilling lives while avoiding preventable costs for Europe’s healthcare services; and how the EU can strengthen the resilience and sustainability of health systems.

Every 46 seconds…

“A person dies of diabetes-related complications every 46 seconds in the EU,” said Del Prato, adding that the number of people in the EU living with diabetes is “equivalent to the populations of the Netherlands, Portugal and Croatia combined”.

According to the EUDF, in 2021, the total diabetes-related cost to the EU’s healthcare systems was €104 billion, and 75% of these costs are due to avoidable complications that can be prevented through good diabetes management. About one-third of the economic cost of diabetes is due to productivity losses, worth around €65 billion annually.

“If we fail to take action,” warned Del Prato, “hundreds of thousands of people will die prematurely in the coming years. If left undiagnosed or inadequately managed, diabetes can lead to serious complications, as well as reduced quality of life and economic activity.”

“At EUDF, we wanted to try to sensitise the political agenda, and potential candidates for the election, to the importance of dealing with a non-communicable disease like diabetes. There are a lot of people with diabetes, and we want those people to be active in society, to provide them with the opportunities that every citizen of Europe should have. To message this, we are using what we call “The Four ‘E’s’ – Early Detection, Equitable Care, Empowering People and Embracing Science and Technology.”

Silent pandemic

As the prevalence of the silent diabetes pandemic rises, EUDF forecasts suggest that diabetes will affect more than 33.2 million people in the European Union by 2030. In addition, Type 2 diabetes is increasingly affecting people at a younger age, when the disease is more aggressive.

“Seventy-five per cent of the healthcare costs of diabetes are due to potentially preventable complications,” said Del Prato. “Policies promoting early diagnosis and good disease management can deliver significant cost savings and contribute to the resilience and sustainability of health systems. People do not choose to live with diabetes or any other disease. The condition may affect anyone, including children and pregnant women. Both genetic factors and social determinants can influence the development of diabetes.”

“Now is the time to act,” he continued. “Implementing effective primary and secondary prevention strategies coupled with the use of modern management approaches can improve the prospects of people living with diagnosed diabetes, as well as those who are at risk, allowing them to live fulfilling lives.”

“So, I would say, by explaining our four major messages, which form the core of ‘The Pledge’, we would like to convey a policy direction which can potentially be translated into a future political agenda for Europe and for the European Parliament.”

Societal costs

The pledge addresses first an individual’s quality of life. Secondly, it addresses the economic impact of diabetes, not least with the net loss of productivity – and the third element is increasingly expensive societal healthcare costs.

“Early and more effective treatment is also about prevention of dangerous and costly complications from diabetes,” said Del Prato. “Right now, we want to see more early detection of the condition, because that will allow us to potentially reduce the burden of a complication. With early detection programmes, we can also spread awareness in the general population, which will be the basis for a more efficacious and efficient prevention strategy.”

Technology impact

Asked if technology will fundamentally change diabetes detection, Del Prato said: “With technology, it is much easier to really monitor diabetes, but we need to restructure the broader system. We cannot expect care providers to just look at a screen and to monitor glucose levels – education for the healthcare provider in the field of diabetes needs to be updated, while introducing knowledge about the role of technology to really impact the condition.”

He added: “I do not believe that technology can be just ‘translated’ from the traditional way we manage diabetes. This election should be taken as an opportunity to really review, revise and revitalise the management of diabetes as a chronic condition.”

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]

Read more with EURACTIV