NEW DELHI: An estimated 101 million people in India were detected with diabetes, 136 million were found to be pre-diabetic and 315 million people suffer from hypertension in 2021, according
to a study.
The survey, one of the largest, conducted in 31 states and Union territories, also found that 254 million people had generalised obesity, 351 million had abdominal obesity, and in addition, 213 million people had hypercholesterolaemia (high cholesterol), and 185 million had high LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol.
A first-of-its-kind study that measured the prevalence of metabolic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB).
Some states like Kerala, Puducherry, Goa, Sikkim, and Punjab reported the highest prevalence of NCDs as compared to other parts of India, the study said.
The survey covered 1,13,043 people -- 33,537 urban and 79,506 rural populace-- between 2008 and 2020. It found that diabetes prevalence was highest in the southern and northern regions of India, with urban areas having a high plurality throughout. The central and northeastern regions had lower prevalence, noted the study which was published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology on Thursday.
What is more worrisome is that the number of people with pre-diabetes is higher than that of those with diabetes, said Dr V Mohan, chairman of Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF), who coordinated the national survey.
“This shows that the epidemic is far from over. We can expect further prevalence in diabetes in the years to come,” he told this paper. The diabetes figure had seen a massive jump from previous years when the figure stood at an estimated 74 million, he added.
The cross-sectional, population-based survey conducted on people above 20 years found that generalised obesity was significantly higher in females. Of the lipid parameters, only high cholesterol was significantly higher in males, while hypercholesterolaemia, low HDL cholesterol, and high LDL cholesterol were significantly higher in females.
The prevalence of prediabetes was highest in the central and northern regions of India and lowest in Punjab, Jharkhand, and some parts of the northeastern region. However, the prevalence of prediabetes was not significantly different between urban and rural areas.
