NEW DELHI: At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected people with diabetes, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday released a guidance document for the management of type 1 diabetes.
The document reported narrowing of urban-rural differences in the burden of diabetes. It also took cognizance of the fact that type 1 diabetes is rising among the younger population in the country.
“Today, more and more children are being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in our country. This may be because the actual prevalence of the disorder is going up in India. It may also reflect better awareness and, therefore, improved diagnosis of type 1 diabetes,” said the document.
“Finally, it could be that children are surviving more due to early diagnosis and better treatment,” the 173-page document, which is a compilation of different chapters on type 1 diabetes - from epidemiology, diagnosis of type 1 diabetes to lifestyle, diet and exercise, insulin, monitoring, acute complications, and more.
India is home to the world's second-largest adult diabetes population, and every sixth person with diabetes in the world is an Indian, it added.
Globally, diabetes was responsible for over four million deaths in 2019. It was the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease, adult-onset blindness and cardiovascular diseases.
The past three decades witnessed a 150 percent increase in the number of people with diabetes in the country, it said.
“Diabetes, in India, has traversed from high to the middle income and underprivileged sections of our society,” it said.
The peak incidence of type 1 diabetes is seen between 10-14 years of age, though it can affect an individual at any age.
The incidence of type 1 diabetes in India is 4.9 cases in one lakh population per year.
All children and adults with type 1 diabetes require insulin as soon as they are diagnosed and continuously throughout their life.
“The ICMR type 1 diabetes guidelines come when the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has disproportionately affected people with diabetes, exposing them to a high risk for severe illness and mortality,” it added.
It also expressed a “matter of immense concern” that type 2 diabetes is becoming prevalent in the age group of 25–34 years in both urban and rural areas.
The past three decades witnessed a 150% increase in the number of people with diabetes in the country.
Genetic factors play a significant role, and the risk increases by 3 per cent, 5 per cent, and 8 per cent, respectively, when the mother, father, and sibling have the disease. The best way to manage the condition is lifestyle management.
Dr Nikhil Tandon, Head has conceptualised the document. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr V Mohan, Chairman and Chief Diabetologist, Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre in Chennai, Dr R S Dhaliwal, Head, Division of Non-Communicable Diseases, ICMR Hqrs., New Delhi and Dr Tanvir Kaur, Scientist 'G', Division of Non-Communicable Diseases, ICMR Hqrs., New Delhi, said that the growing prevalence of pre-diabetes indicates a further increase in diabetes shortly.