Serious concerns have been raised by Diabetes Fiji, with the organisation revealing that the youngest person diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes is just one year and seven months old, while the youngest Type 2 diabetes patient is 11 years old. The youngest recorded stroke patient is 12 years old.
Diabetes Fiji Executive Director Kini Marawa says diabetes is no longer confined to older age groups, with 4.7 percent of young adults aged 18 to 29 now living with the disease.
He says non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 80 percent of all deaths in Fiji, with 30 to 40 percent of those being premature deaths among adults aged 35 to 55.
Marawa says diabetes is the underlying cause of 68.5 percent of end-stage kidney failure cases and 27 percent of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy.
He says an amputation is performed every 8.5 hours, while 45 percent of hospital cardiac admissions are due to heart attacks, contributing to seven deaths each day.
The Executive Director says the prevalence of diabetes in Fiji has increased from 14.6 percent in 2011 to between 16.5 and 17 percent in 2025.
Marawa says 98.5 percent of adults aged 18 to 69 have at least one NCD risk factor, while 47 percent have three or more.
Speaking on overweight and obesity, Marawa says more than 68 percent of adults are overweight or obese, with obesity affecting 40 percent of the population, 70 percent of whom are women.
He says 36.6 percent of the population has hypertension, with 47.7 percent previously unaware of their condition.
Marawa says among people living with diabetes, only 46.5 percent know they have the disease, between 33 and 71 percent receive medical treatment, while only 6.2 to 21.5 percent achieve optimal blood glucose control.
