India home to over 6.3 cr diabetics Garima Prasher, TNN | Nov 12, 2013, 02.40 BANGALORE: India needs an effective jab to control its rising diabetics count. Figures released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) are not encouraging. India has grabbed second spot, after China, in the list of nations with a high number of diabetics. Indias is a progressive story: from 5.08 crore diabetics in 2010, to 6.1 crore in 2011, the figure scaled up to over 6.3 crore in 2012. Urbanization, diet, a sedentary lifestyle and lack of awareness have contributed in a big way to these galloping figures. Raising concern levels, India is also the largest contributor to regional mortality with 10,13,057 deaths due to diabetes in 2012. Correspondingly, there were 9,83,000 deaths in 2011. Over half of these were under 60, which is consistent with the global figure. The IDF Atlas points out that the epidemic is hitting younger people in middle-income countries and causing early death and disability. No doubt, these numbers are alarming. Apart from a rising number of diabetics, theres a disturbing trend of people catching the disease early. People are contracting the disease in their 20s and 30s too, says Dr Nidhi Garg, consultant diabetologist, Narayana Health Group of Institutions. Diabetes is a disease of development, says the Atlas. According to the report, urbanization, changes in lifestyle and developing health systems combine to increase a persons risk for diabetes substantially. The current trend of low-fibre, high-fat diet is the culprit. Lethargic lifestyles also contribute to the increase in the number of cases in India. Moreover, awareness about the disease has surged, so more cases are coming to light, says Dr Rajeshwari Janakiraman, endocrinologist, Columbia Asia Referral Hospital. Worldwide, a staggering 50% of people with diabetes dont know they have the disease, points out the IDF report. Awareness levels are the lowest in Africa (81%), followed by the Western Pacific (58%) and Middle East and North Africa (53%). The undiagnosed percentage is 51% in Southeast Asia. Regions where the overall prevalence of diabetes is relatively low, such as Africa, have some of the highest percentages of people who are undiagnosed. This is often because of a complete lack of awareness of the disease, both in the public and health community, says the Atlas. Stigma, depression come with diabetes Once contracted, the disease brings along various psychological challenges, apart from ruining health, says a study. The Diabetes Attitude Wishes and Needs (DAWN2) study done on 900 persons in India, including 280 healthcare professionals, 500 diabetics and their 120 family members, shows that 27% respondents felt discriminated against because of the disease, 12% reported depression and 52% said they experience diabetes-related stress. Diabetics face discrimination in schools, at work and in society. While conducting the survey, we came across various cases of discrimination. In one case, a girl was not allowed to participate in a school dance competition because she was diabetic. Teachers feared she would collapse due to her low sugar level, says Dr Sanjay Kalra, consultant, Bharti Hospital, Karnal, Haryana, one of the investigators of DAWN2 in India. The study, done in 17 countries, also reflects that when it comes to self-management, healthcare facilities and awareness about the disease, India ranks low on the list. Only 23% respondents had participated in a diabetes education programme, as compared to the median of 59% for other countries. Quality of self-management among patients is also pathetic, says Dr Sanjay. DAWN2 was conducted in China, Japan, India, Turkey, Algeria, Canada, USA, Mexico, Russia, Denmark, Netherlands, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Germany.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 14:34:43 +0000
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