China - Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy in a Norwegian and Chinese Population

Diabetes is now a major threat to global public health that is rapidly progressing, with the biggest impact on adults of working age in developing countries. At least 171 million people worldwide have diabetes. This figure is likely to more than double by 2030 to reach 366 million. Recent WHO calculations indicate excess global mortality attributable to diabetes to be 2.9 million deaths, equivalent to 5.2% of all deaths (Gojka Roglic et al ). With the dramatic increase in obesity worldwide and especiall y in populations of the emerging economies, e.g P.R. China, population screening is being considered as a plausible strategy for prevention and treatment of the disease and its long term complications. The driving forces behind diabetes screening effor ts come from several sources: undiagnosed type 2 diabetes is common and widespread; diabetic complications are common at clinical diagnosis; recommendations exist that support screening (that are primarily based on expert opinion); and a widespread conten tion, without empirical evidence, that treatment of early disease improves health outcomes and saves resources. (Michael M. Engelgau et al) The proposed bilateral project will develop simultaneosly a Tromsø and Beijing Cohort on Diabetes and Diabetic Re tinopathy in a cooperation between Institutes of Clinical and Community Medicine as part of the Tromsø 6 Population Study (see also application FRIMEDSAMF Forskerprosjekt-ES418156) and Institute of Hypertension and Diabetes of Tsinghua University (Huaxin ) First Hospital, Dewai Community Hospital and Sekwa Eye Hospital Group, in Beijing. The project will draw on a international network of experts from Chijna, Norway, Australia, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand and UK. The Cooperating partners in Beijing will recruit one to two Chinese doctoral fellows and one postdoctoral fellow. A seminar is planned in Beijing in March 2007 to work out the detailed protocol.