The burden of T1D globally is expected to increase rapidly between 2021 and 2040, according to a study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Researchers developed a model to estimate T1D prevalence, incidence, associated mortality, and life expectancy for 201 countries for 2021 and projected prevalent cases in 2040. In 2021, there were about 8.4 million individuals worldwide with T1D, of whom 18% were younger than 20, 64% were aged 20-59, and 19% were aged 60 or older. In 2021, 500,000 new cases were diagnosed, at a median age of onset of 39, with 35,000 non-diagnosed individuals dying within 12 months of symptomatic onset. One in five people with T1D live in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. For a child aged 10 and diagnosed with T1D, remaining life expectancy in 2021 ranged from a mean of 13 years in low-income countries to 65 years in high-income countries. In 2040, there is an expected increase in prevalent cases to 13.5-17.4 million (60% to 107% higher than in 2021).
