Zagreb, 14 May 2025 (Hina/MIA) — An estimated 700,000 people in Croatia are living with diabetes, with the number of patients steadily rising and the disease increasingly affecting young people and children, experts warned at an event marking Croatian Diabetes Day, May 14.

"We have around 450,000 registered diabetes patients, but the actual number is estimated at over 700,000. Each year, we see between 30,000 and 35,000 new cases," Dario Rahelić, President of the Croatian Society for Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders, told a press conference in Zagreb.

Rahelić said diabetes was increasingly being diagnosed in young people, even children.

He said the recent rise in diabetes cases was caused by "unhealthy lifestyles, obesity, irregular eating habits and a lack of physical activity."

He also stressed the importance of timely diagnosis and treatment, as diabetes often shows no symptoms until serious complications arise.

"Diabetes affects all organ systems — from the heart and blood vessels to the kidneys and eyesight.

"In many cases, patients only find out they have the disease after suffering a heart attack or stroke," Rahelić said.

Rahelić also said over 20% of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund budget was spent on treating diabetes, with 88% of that going toward the treatment of chronic complications.

A public health campaign on the importance of diabetes prevention and early detection was held on Cvjetni Square in the downtown Zagreb. Citizens were offered free blood glucose, blood pressure and body mass index checks as well as expert advice from diabetologists, nutritionists and kinesiologists.

Tomislav Benjak, Assistant Director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, confirmed that the number of diabetes patients was increasing and that estimates of more than 700,000 cases were realistic.

Benjak said that "six percent of people over the age of 40 have diabetes without knowing it."

"A significant number of people are living with undiagnosed diabetes," he said.

Croatian Diabetes Day has been observed since 2022, when May 14 was established as a national day dedicated to the fight against this increasingly prevalent chronic non-communicable disease by the Croatian Parliament. vm/mr