Young Adults Under 40 Suffer from Diabetes... Prevalence Doubled in 10 Years

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among younger age groups is surging.

According to a recent research paper titled "Prevalence, Incidence, and Metabolic Characteristics of Type 2 Diabetes in Young Adults in Korea (2010-2020)" published in the Diabetes & Metabolism Journal (DMJ) of the Korean Diabetes Association on May 1, the prevalence of T2DM among Korean young adults aged 19 to 39 was 1.02% in 2010, but nearly doubled to 2.02% in 2020. As of 2020, approximately 370,000 young adults in Korea were living with type 2 diabetes. Notably, the prevalence among those in their 30s rose from 2.09% in 2010 to 3.9% in 2020, leading the spread of diabetes among young people. By gender, the prevalence among males was consistently higher than among females, and the rate of increase was also steeper in males.

Experts are warning that urgent measures are needed, as many young patients are also experiencing obesity and various complications. As of 2020, 67.8% of these young diabetes patients were classified as obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 25kg/m² or higher, and 31.6% fell into the category of severe obesity, with a BMI of 30kg/m² or higher. Waist circumference has also shown a steady upward trend. Such obesity has led to a wide range of metabolic diseases, including hypertension (34.2%), dyslipidemia (79.8%), and fatty liver disease (78.9%).

In addition, the prevalence of complications such as cardiovascular disease is also increasing. In particular, as of 2020, heart failure was the most common vascular complication among young diabetes patients. Cases of chronic renal failure (end-stage renal disease), proliferative diabetic retinopathy, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke were also reported.

Experts emphasized that it is important for young adults to accurately recognize their health status and to actively manage their health by maintaining healthy eating habits and exercising regularly. Furthermore, experts pointed out that not only individual efforts but also national-level attention and policy support are urgently needed. They added that it is necessary to develop customized diabetes prevention and management programs targeting younger age groups, as well as to expand institutional support for obesity management.