Most NHS costs wasteful, says Diabetic Medicine

The majority of NHS spending on diabetes is avoidable, says a report in the journal Diabetic Medicine.

It suggests that 80% of the NHS's £9.8bn annual UK diabetes bill goes on the cost of treating complications.

Experts say much of this is preventable with health checks and better education - something the Department of Health says it is tackling.

The report also predicts that by 2035, diabetes will cost the NHS £16.8bn, 17% of its entire budget.

There are 3.8 million people living with diabetes in the UK.

The study looked at annual direct patient care costs for both types of diabetes, with Type 2 at £8.8bn being far higher than that of Type 1 at £1bn.

Both Type 1 diabetes, which tends to appear in childhood, and Type 2 diabetes, often linked to diet, lead to problems controlling the amount of sugar in the blood.

Complications occur when people with diabetes sustain high levels of glucose over a long period. This can lead to increased chances of developing disease-related complications, such as kidney failure, nerve damage, damage to the retina, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

For more on this story see the BBC News website.