During an annual period, HbA1c levels for the disease diabetes in cities such as Kolkata (8.4% to 8.1%) and Chennai (8.4% to 8.2%) registered a fall. In Gurgaon as well, the levels fell from 8.6% to 8.5%. But, in smaller cities like Khandwa showed 9% in June 2018 and 8.2% in May 2019.

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According to Dr. Anoop Mishra “In India, the number of patients with diabetes is now increasing in the low socio-economic strata. They are not aware of the significance of diabetes and the way how to control it. Resulting in the high average sugar levels and complications of the disease at an early age”.

The above mention survey is a part of the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk India’s recent India Diabetes Care Index report that maps diabetes and care. “The cost of diabetes care in only India was approximate to be Rs 63,000 crore in the year 2017 with around 72.9 million of people in India affected by diabetes and 80% of them are not getting recommended treatment,” according to the report.

According to Dr. Ambrish Mithal, Endocrinology at Medanta, the Medicity in Gurgaon, diabetes epidemic is still growing. “Till a few years ago, diabetes occurs in people who were above 40 but now we increasingly see it in 20-year-old people too.” according to him, 60% of bypass surgery patients in his hospital had diabetes as an underlying cause. “In many metros, 40% of those aged over 60 have diabetes.”

According to the Endocrinologist Dr. Shashank Joshi from Lilavati Hospital, “The level of 7% is the magic number which endocrinologists hunt for diabetics. But it may be relaxed in some cases. In older individuals, doctors would be satisfied by 7.5% and 6.5% for pregnant women and youngsters.” India Diabetes Care Index report said uncontrolled diabetes causes over 3 crore cases of complications of, eye, heart, kidney, nerve, and limb. The company has started Impact India, a 1,000-day challenge to reduce India’s average HbA1c level by 1% by 2021.

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News Source: Economics Times