BENGALURU: The prevalence of diabetes in the country has risen dramatically and Karnataka falls in the red zone. It is estimated that the state stands at 10.6 on a scale of 5.3-16.0 on the number of diabetic cases, revealed a study. This means that a large number of people are already diabetic and many more will be diagnosed with the condition over the next five years. Researchers told TNIE that metro cities like Bengaluru are at a higher risk of having bigger populations of diabetics.
The study was conducted by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and funded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The INdia DIABetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study published in the Lancet highlighted that there are currently 101 million diabetics in India, which is 11·4 percent of the total population. Pre-diabetes is also a major concern for the country, where at least 136 million people, that is 15.3 percent, are diagnosed with the condition. In Karnataka, the ratio of diabetes to prediabetes has hit a worrisome ratio of 1:1.2.
Dr Ranjit Mohan Anjana, president of MDRF and first author of the study, said, “One in 10 people in the state have diabetes, which is alarming.” The research screened a total of 1,13,043 individuals from the entire country; 79,506 from rural areas and 33,537 from urban areas between October 18, 2008 and December 17, 2020.
Dr Anjana mentioned that the gap between the urban and rural areas in terms of diabetes has narrowed.
The report read, “Only around 7% of people with previously diagnosed diabetes in India meet treatment targets for blood glucose, lipids, and blood pressure.” The researchers highlighted the need to reorient healthcare priorities towards caring for individuals with metabolic non-communicable diseases, especially in rural areas as they highly depend on government healthcare facilities.
Dr Anjana said, “The cases rose post pandemic as behavioral patterns of individuals changed and many became physically inactive.” Experts suggest that the only way forward is to adopt healthy eating habits, exercise regularly and invest in mental fitness.