Health and economic burden of diabetes in Bangladesh: priorities for attention and control

In Bangladesh, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has increased sharply in recent decades, with diabetes one of the alarming public health concerns among all NCDs. Approximately one-fifth of adult diabetes patients live in Southeast Asian countries, and it is predicted that, within the next 15 years, Bangladesh will become the country with the eighth highest number of diabetic patients.1 Rapid urbanization, economic growth in the country, dietary patterns, sedentary lifestyles, increasing life expectancy, high consumption of salt and foods rich in chemical energy, and even genetic predisposition makes the country more vulnerable towards diabetes. The costs associated with the treatment of diabetes can result in a substantial financial burden on both households and societies.2 Herein we report on the annual health and economic burden of diagnosed diabetes in Bangladesh to help policy makers adopt preventive strategies to mitigate this burden. To estimate the economic annual cost of diabetes, latest population-level data were obtained from the Ministry of Planning, Government of the Peoples Republic in Bangladesh3 and information related to diabetes incidence was obtained from the latest survey data representative of the country as a whole.4 Treatment costs were estimated from the relevent literature in the context of Bangladesh