One in ten patients admitted to hospital are suffering from a form of diabetes linked to being overweight and inactive.
The scale of the growing crisis was laid bare last night as it was revealed hospitals are being deluged with 5,000 type 2 diabetes patients every day.
It is taking an unprecedented toll on the under-pressure
NHS, with doctors now seeing children aged under nine who need help.
The illness appears to be having a worrying impact on younger women, according to the latest data from NHS Digital.
Two thirds of the type 2 diabetes admissions for the under-40s last year involved female patients and there is evidence they are more susceptible to complications.
The data only covers those patients with type 2 diabetes, which is strongly linked to being overweight and inactive – and largely preventable.
The reason the illness is so burdensome for the NHS is its devastating complications, which include heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and amputations.
The figures show there were 4,992 admissions for women aged 20 to 29 in 2018/19, compared with 1,755 for men.
Similarly, there were 16,707 admissions for women aged 30 to 39 compared with 10,207 for men. Overall women accounted for 65 per cent of the 34,601 admissions among the under-40s last year.
Although type 2 diabetes is more common in men, research has shown women are more at risk of complications arising from it including heart disease, kidney disease as well as depression.
Disturbingly, the figures also reveal there were 940 admissions involving children and teenagers aged 19 and under in 2018/19. This included 45 admissions for children aged nine or under – a shocking statistic for an illness once only seen in middle-aged adults.