The figure has doubled in a decade and last night the head of the NHS told the Daily Mail: "Our ever-expanding waistlines are taking a growing toll." Simon Stevens warned the "alarming rise" in admissions across the board was putting "voidable pressure" on our hospitals.
The illness appears to be having a worrying impact on younger women, according to the latest data from NHS Digital. Two thirds of the type 2 diabetes admissions for the under-40s last year involved female patients and there is evidence they are more susceptible to complications.The data only covers those patients with type 2 diabetes, which is strongly linked to being overweight and inactive. The figures show there were 4,992 admissions for women aged 20 to 29 in 2018/19, compared with 1,755 for men. Similarly, there were 16,707 admissions for women aged 30 to 39 compared with 10,207 for men. Overall women accounted for 65 per cent of the 34,601 admissions among the under-40s last year.
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