The Rise of Diabetes in Urban India- A Silent Killer
Diabetes is a disease which affects the glucose levels of the body. The reasons can be genetic and environmental both. Recently, Indian Council of Medical Research under Ministry of Health conducted a survey across 15 states in India and it covered 57,000 people, overall. According to Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology Journal, now the urban areas in states across India are more prone to diabetes as compared to areas which are both economically and socially better off.
The body weight, height, age, blood pressure, and waist measurement was noted, for each individual and the Glucose Test Study was conducted in each, to test the presence of diabetes or pre-diabetic condition. This study did not cover Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes separately.
The overall prevalence of diabetes was 7.3% in the country and the rates varied from 4.3% in Bihar, 13.6% in Chandigarh, 6% in Mizoram, to 14.7% in Tripura, etc. It was also interesting to find out that pre-diabetic conditions were higher than compared to people who already had diabetes.
According to Senior Author Vishwanathan Mohan, President of Diabetes Research Foundation in Chennai, in most economically and socially well-off countries it was seen that diabetes did affect everyone and it slowly starts affecting the ones who are not that well-off, first. This could be due to the economical status of many people who can or cannot afford medical help, as most of the doctor’s bills are paid from one’s own pocket. The same results were seen in India where the urban population of lower middle class and middle class families were more affected by pre-diabetic and diabetic conditions as compared to those who are better off, monetarily. Urban Punjab was seen to have 16.1% diabetic prevalence.
Dr. Nikhil Tandon says that a sedentary life, lack of proper knowledge, unhealthy food habits and environmental conditions could be some of the reasons which are making diabetes such an issue in India. Some people didn’t even know that they were suffering from diabetes, before this survey was conducted. The amount of awareness and knowledge that people have about diabetes and fitness and diet is very less and one needs to focus on educating the mass about all this before it’s too late.
70% of India lives in rural areas so even a small percentage of people getting affected by diabetes could mean millions.
Source: Hindustan Times
