A silent Danger called Diabetes has found its strong footing in India. It found out that diabetics have increased by 44% in the last 4 years. Diabetes is a long-term health problem that affects how your body uses food for energy. Your body converts most of the food you eat into sugar (glucose) and sends it into your blood. When your blood sugar rises, it tells your pancreas to make insulin. Diabetic type 1 is the most common, while type 2 is the second most common. Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the body’s defense system attacks and kills the cells that make insulin. A person with type 2 diabetes has insufficient insulin production or a cell that is not responding well to insulin. Pregnancy-induced gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy, but usually disappears once the baby is born. Essentially, non-diabetic hyperglycemia is high blood sugar levels that aren't high enough to qualify as diabetes.
The common causes of Diabetes can be autoimmune reactions, obesity, unhealthy diet, age factor, and family genes. Diabetes has a long history that spans across different cultures and civilizations. The Indian physicians Sushruta and Charaka were among the first to identify two types of diabetes: one that affects young and thin people (type 1) and one that affects older and obese people (type 2). The Swiss physician Paracelsus was the first to suggest that diabetes is a disease of the blood rather than the kidneys. The English physician Thomas Willis observed that diabetic urine had a sweet taste like honey.
Diabetes is a growing health problem in India, with over 100 million people affected and many more at risk. Furthermore, it suggests that 136 million people are pre-diabetic, with diabetes developing in the next years. The study conducted by ICMR lasted two years and included over 1.13 lakh respondents from both rural and urban regions. Goa leads the list of the ten most afflicted states, with 26.4% diabetes and over 20% pre-diabetic. Puducherry is close behind, with 26.3% diabetics and a greater proportion (25.8%) pre-diabetic. Kerala has a diabetes population of 25.5% and a pre-diabetic population of 18.3%. With 20.4% diabetes, Chandigarh is in fourth place. The national average for diabetes is 11.4%, with 15.3% of people being pre-diabetic. Many people with diabetes are unaware of their condition and need better access to diagnosis and treatment.
The Government of India launched the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke (NPCDCS) in 2010. The program aims to provide screening, diagnosis, treatment, and referral services for diabetes and other non-communicable diseases at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of health care. Many other programs like the Indian Diabetes Prevention Programme (IDPP) have significantly reduced the level of diabetes in India. But the recent findings show that these initiatives aren’t enough for the growing population.
Edited by Fahima Afrin
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