60,000 new diabetes cases have been diagnosed in five years in the Canary Islands
Health authorities have sounded the alarm after confirming that around 60,000 new cases of diabetes have been diagnosed in the Canary Islands over the past five years. The disease now affects between 15% and 16% of the population, making the archipelago one of the regions with the highest incidence in Spain.
Experts warn that up to half of those with diabetes may not even know they have it, as the illness often develops without clear symptoms. To address this, the Tenerife Diabetes Association (ADT) has launched a new awareness campaign under the slogan “They have diabetes and don’t know it. Do you?”, aiming to encourage early detection and promote healthier lifestyles.
The initiative, the first of its kind in Tenerife, will visit ten municipalities between October and December, including Buenavista del Norte, La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Úrsula, La Laguna, Santa Cruz, Candelaria, Güímar, San Miguel de Abona, and Guía de Isora, offering screenings and advice. A second phase will expand the campaign to the rest of the island.
At the campaign’s launch, Juan Acosta, the island’s Councillor for Preventive Education, was joined by José Díaz Flores, Director General of Public Health for the Canary Islands Government; Julián González, president of the ADT; and endocrinologist Judith López, who described diabetes as a “silent and treacherous disease.”
Dr. López explained that Type 2 diabetes accounts for around 90% of all cases, and is strongly linked to obesity and poor diet, both of which remain major health challenges in the Canary Islands.
According to Díaz Flores, the region has made progress in both diagnosis and treatment, but public awareness continues to lag behind. In 2020, there were approximately 133,000 diagnosed cases of Type 2 diabetes in the Canary Islands, a figure that has since risen by 5%, reaching nearly 190,000 people this year.
Health officials are urging residents to undergo regular blood tests, maintain a balanced diet, and stay physically active to help prevent or manage this chronic but controllable disease.
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