Better health and ageing for all Australians

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus was endorsed as a National Health Priority Area at the Australian Health Minister's Conference in 1996 in recognition of the high prevalence of the disease in Australia, its impact on morbidity and mortality, and its potential for health improvements through prevention and treatment programs.

In this section:

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease characterised by high levels of glucose in the blood. Blood sugar levels are controlled by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin, or the body becomes resistant to insulin, or both.

There are three main types of diabetes:
  • Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the body's immune system attacks the insulin producing cells of the pancreas. People with type 1 diabetes cannot produce insulin and require lifelong insulin injections for survival. The disease can occur at any age, although it mostly occurs in children and young adults. Type 1 diabetes is sometimes referred to as juvenile onset diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes.

  • Type 2 diabetes is associated with hereditary factors and lifestyle risk factors including poor diet, insufficient physical activity and overweight or obesity. People with type 2 diabetes may be able to manage their condition through lifestyle changes; however, diabetes medications or insulin injections may also be required to control blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes occurs mostly in people aged over 40 years old, however, the disease is also becoming increasingly prevalent in younger age groups1.

  • Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. The condition usually disappears once the baby is born, however, a history of gestational diabetes increases a woman's risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. The condition may be managed through adopting healthy dietary and exercise habits, although diabetes medication, including insulin, may also be required to manage blood sugar levels. Top of page

How common is diabetes?

The 2007-08 National Health Survey estimated that there were 898,800 people (4% of the population) that had been diagnosed with diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes) in Australia2. The National Health Survey relies on self-reported data, and therefore the prevalence of diabetes may actually be higher, as those with undiagnosed diabetes are not included in the prevalence estimate. Of those who reported having been diagnosed with diabetes, 87% reported having type 2 diabetes, 10% reported having type 1 diabetes, and 3% did not know which type of diabetes they had3.

It is estimated that gestational diabetes mellitus affects women in about 5% of pregnancies4.

Based on self-reported data, the prevalence of diabetes in Australia is increasing; between 1995 and 2007-08 the number of people reporting to have diabetes increased from 407,9005 to 818,2006. This substantial increase has been attributed to more people developing the disease, but also people with diabetes living longer and improved detection of the disease7.

Type 2 diabetes is over-represented among Indigenous persons. In the 2004–05 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, the self-reported prevalence of diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was 6%. After adjusting for differences in age structure, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were 3 times as likely as other Australians to report diabetes as a long-term health condition. However, among those aged 45–54 years, they were 5 times as likely8. Top of page

Further information

For information on the signs and symptoms of diabetes or advice about diabetes management, please refer to the following websites:

1 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2008). Diabetes: Australian facts 2008, page 3.
2Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2011). Diabetes prevalence in Australia: detailed estimates for 2007-08, page 3.
3 ibid
4 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2010). Diabetes in pregnancy: its impact on Australian women and their babies, page 3.
5 Australian Bureau of Statistics (1997): 1995 National Health Survey. Available at: Australian Bureau of Statistics website www.abs.gov.au.
6 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare(2011). Diabetes prevalence in Australia: detailed estimates for 2007-08, page 3.
7 Colaguiri S, Borch-Johnsen K, Glumer C & Vistisen D (2005). There really is an epidemic of type-2 diabetes. Diabetologia. 48(8): 1459-63
8 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2010). Australia’s health 2010, page 239.


Page last reviewed: June 2012