The diabetic population in the country is close to hitting the alarming mark of 69.9 million by 2025 and 80 million by 2030. This denotes that the developing country is expected to witness an increase of 266 per cent. The statistics recently accumulated showcase that culture of diabetes is more prevalent in the urban areas as 28 per cent of the population living in cities are affected, whereas 5 per cent of the rural population are positive with diabetes mellitus.

Dr Gurpreet Sandhu, President, Council for Healthcare and Pharma says "People don’t realise that the high sugar levels or constant sugar fluctuations on account of the disease are taking a toll on their body by inviting serious comorbidities of the heart, kidney and liver besides sapping their energy levels. There is little understanding that any abnormal sign in health status could be a permanent phenomenon and could even constitute a pre-diabetic condition. Even worse, people are not aware that diabetes is not an end in itself, it is a ‘breeding ground’ for further complications of the nerves, the eyes, and even the foot leading to neuropathy, retinopathy and foot ulcers.”

Dr Shankar Narang, COO, Paras Healthcare said “A cross-sectional study conducted jointly by several organisations including the Public Health Foundation of India in 2019 estimated that almost 47 per cent of Indians with diabetes do not know they have the condition. This makes it almost half the total diabetic population. This highly dangerous situation results in many preventable deaths.”

Apart from raising awareness among people about symptoms and risk factors, it is equally important to institute the norm of regular check-ups.

Adding about why women suffer more from this condition than men, Amritah Sandhu, Founder & Director, CareIndia, a wellness pharmacy working for women health in rural areas said “Ironically enough, although women have been reported to be more aware of the disease that they don’t take it seriously enough to get themselves regularly examined for a systematic treatment regimen – for various socio-cultural and economic reasons – is extremely worrying.”