WHO / Yoshi Shimizu
A WHO field staff talks to a woman fetching water from a water catchment tank in Kiribati.

Diabetes in Viet Nam

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough of the blood sugar-regulating hormone, insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Hyperglycaemia, or elevated blood sugar, is a common effect of diabetes that eventually leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels. Diabetes is one of the four major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and its global prevalence has been steadily increasing in recent years. In the Western Pacific Region alone, it is estimated that 131 million people (8.4% prevalence) were living with diabetes in 2014. As of 2015 in Viet Nam, 4.1% of the people aged 18-69 years had been living with diabetes.

Preventing diabetes requires taking a life-course approach by improving early childhood nutrition, providing supportive environments for physical activity, and developing interventions that can support its prevention and control.

Currently WHO supports the country in the management of diabetes at commune health stations, its integration with hypertension (Decision 2559) in addition to support for controlling NCD risk factors in general.

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Diabetes treatment

Diabetes can be treated and its consequences avoided or delayed with diet, physical activity, medication and regular screening and treatment for complications.

Preventing diabetes

Healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use are ways to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes complications

Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation.

Diabetes in adults

Globally, the prevalence of diabetes among adults over 18 years of age has risen from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014, which means the number of people with diabetes has risen from 108 million to 422 million.

Diabetes management in Viet Nam

According to the 2015 STEPWise approach to Surveillance (STEPS), in Viet Nam, the prevalence of diabetes among adults 18-69 years of age is 4.1%. However, only 28.9% of the people with diabetes are being managed. This means most of the people living with diabetes in the country (more than 70%) are left untreated.