A surprising number of people around the world have diabetes and don’t even know it.A new study shows that in 2023, 44% of people aged 15 and older with diabetes were unaware of their condition.That’s an estimated 248 million people with undiagnosed diabetes.The problem was greatest among young adults—despite facing higher risks for long-term complications, including kidney disease, heart disease, nerve damage, and vision loss.Among those who were diagnosed, 91% were taking medication, but only 42% were managing their blood sugar effectively.The lead author says, “By 2050, 1.3 billion people are expected to be living with diabetes, and if nearly half don’t know they have a serious and potentially deadly health condition, it could easily become a silent epidemic.”Experts say urgent investment is needed in screening, medications, and glucose-monitoring tools, particularly in underserved regions. Source: The Lancet Diabetes & EndocrinologyAuthor Affiliations: University of Washington, Department of Veterans Affairs Seattle, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Monash University, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, King’s College London, Universidad de Chile.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter