New research from the University of Sydney reveals the number of Australians living with diabetes may be up to 35% higher than previously estimated, with many thought to be missing from the official diabetes register.
The findings raise critical questions about the size of one of Australia’s most serious chronic health conditions, which can lead to many complications including diabetic retinopathy.
The study, published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, applied a sophisticated algorithm to integrated health data from Medicare, hospital records, and pharmaceutical claims, a Diabetes Australia statement said.
The results suggest there could be more than two million Australians with diabetes.
Lead author Ms Emma Cox, PhD candidate from the Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data, said the research highlighted a much larger and more diverse population with diabetes, particularly older Australians, people in remote areas, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
“This isn’t just a data issue, it’s a public health issue,” Cox said.
“A significant number of Australians are missing from national statistics. That makes it harder to plan services, allocate funding, and deliver prevention strategies where they’re most needed.”
Prevention strategies could include initiatives like KeepSight, a program that reminds people with diabetes to seek regular eye exams to protect their sight. Of the estimated 1.9 million people living with diabetes in Australia, data suggests 800,000 don’t access routine eyecare services.
This latest research was partially funded in 2017 by a Diabetes Australia Research Trust grant and builds on longstanding calls for better integration of medical data to understand the true burden of chronic disease.
Professor Grant Brinkworth, director of research at Diabetes Australia, said the findings offered a compelling call to action.
“This study tells us what many of us in the sector have said for years: we’re not seeing the full picture of diabetes in Australia,” he said.
“Understanding the true scale is essential if we want to improve outcomes for individuals and manage the national impact of this condition.”
The study also found that many people who are living with diabetes are managing the condition through lifestyle changes or medications like metformin, groups who may be less likely to register with the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS).
“If people aren’t visible in the data, they’re also invisible to policy and funding decisions,” Prof Brinkworth added.
Read the full study: Is the burden of diabetes in Australia underestimated? In Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice
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