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13 Feb 2006
Question No: 344
Question
Name of the Person: Dr Geh Min, Nominated MP
To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the estimated prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Singapore; (b) what is the incidence of new cases annually over the last 20 years; and (c) what percentage of patients with renal failure have diabetes and, conversely, what percentage of diabetics develop renal failure.
Reply
Reply From MOH
Due to methodological constraints, it is an internationally accepted practice to measure the burden of diabetes in terms of 'prevalence' rather than 'incidence'. However, based on local studies and mathematical modeling, the incidence of diabetes, in population aged 18-69 years, has been estimated to be 7 per 1,000 population in 1992, 8 per 1,000 in 1998 and 6 per 1,000 in 2004. This translates to about 12,000 new cases every year, for the past few years.
Diabetes is the most common cause of renal failure in Singapore, accounting for more than half of the new cases. A similar trend is seen in many other countries such as the USA, New Zealand and Malaysia. However, most people with diabetes do not develop kidney disease that is severe enough to cause renal failure. Based on local data, only 0.1% or 1 in 1000 diabetics will develop renal failure in a year.