New cases of all insulin-treated diabetes
In the period 2000 to 2009, 222,544 people began using insulin to treat their diabetes. Of those people who began using insulin, the majority (77%) had Type 2 diabetes, 12% had gestational diabetes and 10% had Type 1 diabetes. The remaining 1% had other types of diabetes (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Incidence of people with insulin-treated diabetes by diabetes type, 2000–2009
Note: Type 2 diabetes excludes those aged less than 10 years.
Sources: National Diabetes Register and AIHW analysis of de-identified NDSS data (data extracted June 2011).
New cases of Type 1 diabetes
From 2000 to 2009, the National Diabetes Register recorded 9,308 new cases of Type 1 diabetes among those aged 0–14 and 13,756 among those aged 15 and over. This equated to an average of around 6 new cases per day.
All new cases of Type 1 diabetes in Australia are recorded on the National Diabetes Register.
- People were less likely to develop Type 1 diabetes as they got older, with the incidence rate lower for adults than for children. The average incidence rate for those aged 40 years and over was 5 per 100,000 people, while for children aged 0–14 years it was 22 per 100,000 people.
- On the whole, males were more likely to be diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes than females, with higher rates of new cases for males in most age groups (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Incidence rate of Type 1 diabetes, by age at first insulin use and sex, 2000–2009
Note: Age-standardised to the 2001 Australian population.
Source: National Diabetes Register (data extracted July 2011)
Compared with the incidence rate in 2000, in 2009 the incidence rate of Type 1 diabetes had increased in children (0-14 years) and decreased in people aged 15 and over (Figure 3).
- For children aged 0–14 the incidence of Type 1 diabetes varied over the decade. However it was slightly higher in 2009 than in 2000 (23 compared with 19 per 100,000). This increase was mainly attributable to increases between 2000 and 2004 (from 19 to 25 cases per 100,000 people) with the rate of new cases remaining relatively stable between 2005 and 2009.
- For people aged 15 years and over, the incidence of Type 1 diabetes was lower in 2009 than in 2000 (7 per 100,000 in 2009 compared with 10 per 100,000 in 2000).
Figure 3: Incidence rate of Type 1 diabetes, by year and age of first insulin-use
Note: Age-standardised to the 2001 Australian population.
Sources: National Diabetes Register and AIHW analysis of de-identified NDSS data (data extracted June 2011).
New cases of insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes
From 2000 to 2009, there were 94,663 males and 77,583 females who began to use insulin to treat their Type 2 diabetes.
Not all people with Type 2 diabetes need insulin to treat their diabetes. Lifestyle modifications such as regular exercise and a healthy diet, along with medication, can often control Type 2 diabetes without the need for insulin. However, as the duration of diabetes and the age of the person with diabetes increases, many people with Type 2 diabetes will need to use insulin.
Given the extremely low number of children aged less than 10 years with insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes, the following data include only those aged 10 years and over.
- The incidence of insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes increased with age, peaking in the 70-84 year age group before declining for those aged 85 and over. For those aged 10–24 years the incidence was 3 per 100,000 people and for the 70-84 year age group it was 289 per 100,000.
- In all age groups except 25-39 years, males had a higher incidence of insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes than females (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Incidence rate of insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes, by age at first insulin use and sex, 2000–2009
Notes:
1. Age-standardised to the 2001 Australian population.
2. Excludes those aged less than 10 years.
Source: National Diabetes Register and AIHW analysis of de-identified NDSS data (data extracted July 2011).
In 2009, the rate of new cases of insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes was higher than it had been in 2000—117 per 100,000 people in 2009 compared with 74 per 100,000 in 2000. Over this period, there was a greater increase in the incidence of insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes for males than females.
- For males, the incidence rate of insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes was 138 per 100,000 in 2009 compared with 81 per 100,000 in 2000 (Figure 5).
- For females, the incidence rate of insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes was 98 per 100,000 in 2009 compared with 67 per 100,000 in 2000.
Figure 5: Incidence rate of insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes, by year of first insulin use and sex, 2000–2009
Notes:
1. Age-standardised to the 2001 Australian population.
2. Excludes those aged less than 10 years.
Sources: National Diabetes Register and AIHW analysis of de-identified NDSS data (data extracted June 2011).
Further information
Definitions
- Incidence: The number of new cases occurring during a given period.
- Incidence rate: The number of new cases per 100,000 of the population.
- Insulin: A hormone produced by the pancreas. Its main action is to enable body cells to absorb glucose from the blood and use it for energy.
- National Diabetes Register: The National Diabetes Register is a register of new cases of people living in Australia with insulin-treated diabetes diagnosed form 1999 onwards. It holds information on people with all forms of insulin-treated diabetes, including Type 1, Type 2, gestational and other types of diabetes. The register covers all new cases of Type 1 diabetes since they all need insulin.
- Type 1 diabetes: Mostly arises in children or young adults, though it can occur at any age. It is marked by the inability to produce insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes need insulin replacement for survival. For more information see Type 1 diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes: The most common form of diabetes, which occurs mostly in people aged 40 years and over. People with Type 2 diabetes produce insulin but may not produce enough or cannot use it effectively. For more information see Type 2 diabetes.