Confirming the fears that rapid urbanisation and sedentary life can lead to diabetes, a five-year data analysis by diagnostic chain Metropolis Healthcare proves that Mumbai is fast becoming the diabetes capital of the country.
Out of the total of 5,32,182 samples tested for HbA1c over the last five years in Mumbai at Metropolis's central laboratory, as many as 25 percent were found to be suffering from poorly controlled diabetes.
The incidence of poorly controlled diabetes was found to be the highest (32 per cent of the sample) in the age group of 50-60 years, followed by 60-70 years (about 29 per cent) and 40-50 years (27.6 per cent).
The incidence was the lowest in the age group of 20-30 years (10 per cent), but increased steadily to peak in the age group of 50-60 years. Men are more prone to diabetes, as the survey showed that 22.7 per cent of all females tested were found to suffer from poorly controlled diabetes, compared to 28 per cent for males.
Out of more than half a million samples tested at the company's global reference laboratory in Mumbai, almost 23 per cent were found to be in pre-diabetic stage, about 29 per cent to be diabetic, while 22.6 per cent non-diabetic, said Metropolis.
About 25 per cent of the sample tested for HbA1c reported levels greater than 8 per cent, which means that their blood glucose levels were not controlled. Prolonged high blood glucose levels put diabetic patients under risk to develop diabetes-related complications.
HbA1c refers to glycated haemoglobin, which develops when haemoglobin, a protein within red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body, combines with glucose in the blood. By measuring glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), clinicians can get an overall picture of what average blood sugar levels have been over approximately three months.
"Diabetes is a growing challenge in India with an estimated 8.7 per cent diabetic population in the age group of 20 and 70 years. The rising prevalence of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases is driven by a combination of factors - rapid urbanisation, sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, uncontrolled use of alcohol and tobacco. Lifestyle interventions2 (sleep, exercise and diet modifications) along with regular monitoring is a must for Diabetes Management," said Dr. Mayur Nigalye, Deputy Chief of Lab, Metropolis Healthcare.
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