Over 315 million people have high blood pressure, while at least 136 million individuals (15.3% of the population) have prediabetes.
According to an ICMR report, India now has over 101 million people who have diabetes, up from 70 million in 2019.
Over 315 million people have high blood pressure, while at least 136 million individuals (15.3% of the population) have prediabetes.
A cross-sectional population-based survey was carried out by researchers at the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB), and the results were reported in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal.
What the study says
31 specialists from various regions of the country participated in the study, which was funded by the ICMR and the Health Ministry and conducted over 15 years.
Even though India is already known as the diabetes capital of the world, the rise in the prevalence of this non-communicable disease (NCD) is cause for concern.
According to the study’s varied findings, the prevalence of other NCDs such as hypertension, generalised obesity, abdominal obesity, and hypercholesterolemia was also high in the nation. Goa had the highest prevalence of diabetic patients at over 26.4% of the total population, while Uttar Pradesh had the lowest prevalence at over 4.8%.
A cause for concern
With high prevalence rates of diabetes in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Punjab, and Chandigarh, the diabetes findings were also consistent with markers of human development.
Between October 18, 2008, and December 17, 2020, 1,13,043 people (79, 506 from rural areas, and 33, 537 from urban areas) took part in the ICMR-INDIAB study. The ratio of diabetes to prediabetes was below one in numerous states with a lower human development index.
The prevalence of diabetes and other metabolic NCDs in India was found to be far greater than previously thought. Diabetes is continuing on the rise in other states even if it has stabilised as an epidemic in wealthy nations.
Except for prediabetes, the researchers discovered that metabolic NCDs were more prevalent in urban areas.
