1. Key messages
2. Diabetes prevalence
Five percent of Belgians is not aware of their diabetes
In 2020, 6.6% of the Belgian population was diagnosed with diabetes according to the IMA-AIM Atlas. The prevalence of diabetes increases with age, and is higher among men, especially in the older age groups.
According to the BELHES in 2018, the estimated total diabetes prevalence reaches 10%, which includes the more than one in three people with diabetes (37%) that is unaware of it. 7.7% of people used diabetes medication, but among those 19% have diabetes which is not well controlled. In other words, 5% of the population is suffering from diabetes either without being aware of it, or without proper diabetes control.
The prevalence of diabetes is increasing over time
The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes is the highest in the Walloon region and the lowest in the Flemish region, despite the relatively higher age of the Flemish population. The relatively low diagnosed diabetes prevalence in the Brussels Capital region is probably the result of the younger age structure: when corrected for age, the diagnosed diabetes prevalence in the Brussels Capital region becomes higher than the Belgian average. The BELHES has also shown that in the Walloon region more people are unaware of their diabetes status compared to the Brussels Capital region and the Flemish region.
From 2007 to 2020, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes has increased in all three regions, as a result of both the ageing of the populations and a true increase in the risk of developing diabetes that could, for example, be related to an increase of overweight/obesity.
Crude prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in Belgium and its regions, 2007-2020 Age-standardized prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in Belgium and its regions, 2007-2020 The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes (IMA) is nearly twice as high among individuals with an increased compensation status than among individuals with a normal compensation status. The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes has been increasing in both groups over time. View the metadata for this indicator Diabetes is a condition that is characterized by recurrent high blood sugar levels. If left untreated, diabetes may cause long-term complications such as foot ulcers, damage to the eyes, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. A diabetic diet and exercise are important parts of diabetes management, but in a large number of cases, drug therapy will also be required. In the absence of an exhaustive diabetes register, several sources of information can be used in Belgium: In the IMA-AIM database, information is found on the use of antidiabetic treatment or on diabetes referring nomenclature. This is considered a good proxy of the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes. Socio-economic characteristics are scarce in the IMA-AIM Atlas. The status of “insured people having right to an increased compensation” is the only available proxy indicator, and it has only two values, yes or no. Persons with a low income or specific medical characteristics such as invalidity are entitled to an increased compensation status. For information concerning mortality, please consult the following pages: Causes of death and Causes of premature death.
Source: IMA-AIM Atlas [1]
Source: Own calculations based on IMA-AIM Atlas [1]Belgians with an increased compensation status have an increased risk of diabetes
The BELHES has shown that people with a lower education are significantly more likely to suffer from ignored or poorly controlled diabetes compared to people with a higher education (RR=3.6, adjusted for age and gender). This could indicate that there are socioeconomic inequalities in the screening and follow-up of diabetes.
Source: Own calculations based on IMA-AIM Atlas [1]3. Read more
Background
A distinction is made between three main types of diabetes:
Since diabetes is a disease with insidious onset, many cases remain undiagnosed. Information on undiagnosed diabetes prevalence is available in the BELHES. The BELHES used self-reported data on diabetes medication use from the Health Interview Survey and objective measurements on blood samples (blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin) to estimate the total diabetes prevalence.
In this report, we mainly described:
Definitions
References