Diabetes epidemic is increasing in many states in the country
Recently, the Metabolic Non Communicable Disease Health Report of India was released by the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDAB).
Key points of report:
- This cross-sectional population-based survey assessed a representative sample of persons aged 20 years and above from urban and rural areas of 31 states and union territories.
- As per the report, 11% of India’s population is suffering from diabetes while 15.3% of the population is affected by pre-diabetes.
- 4% in urban India while 8.9% in rural population suffer from diabetes. About 15.4% of the urban population and 15.2% of rural India are in the pre-diabetic stage.
- A random sample of the population across all 31 states found that Uttar Pradesh had the lowest prevalence of diabetes at 4%, while Goa had the highest at 26.4%.
- The results of the study will be shared with the concerned state government so that they can formulate policies to improve the health of the population.
- Since the year 1972, there has been no ICMR study on the prevalence of diabetes in the country. At that time, 2.3% in urban India and 1.5% in rural India were suffering from diabetes.
- The study was conducted across the country in five phases between 2008 and 2020, covering five states in each phase (all the seven northeastern states were covered in one phase).
- Around 1.24 lakh persons above the age of 20 years were covered in the door-to-door survey.
Diabetes:
- Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the amount of blood glucose (blood sugar) in the blood is too high.
- It is a long-term health condition that affects the way the body converts food into energy.
How does diabetes affect the body?
- The body breaks down most of the food we eat into glucose and releases it into our bloodstream.
- Glucose is the main source of energy in our body but when the amount of glucose in the blood increases, our brain signals the pancreas to release insulin.
- Insulin is a hormone secreted by the beta cells of the pancreas that helps transport the right amount of glucose to our cells, so that the cells can use it for energy. That is, the insulin hormone is responsible for controlling the level of glucose in the blood.
- In diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin or insulin at all, or does not use the available insulin properly.
- In such a situation, the amount of glucose in the blood becomes high and it does not reach our cells. Diabetes increases the risk of damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart.
Source – The Hindu
