India's Diabetes: 4 in 10 Patients Don't Know They're Sick

India is now home to an estimated 10.1 crore people with diabetes, according to the latest phase of the ICMR-INDIAB study published in 2023.

- TDG NETWORK

Source: Exploring Diabetes Epidemic in India. indiascienceandtechnology.gov.in

A newer nationally representative survey of adults aged 45 and above found that nearly one in five in this age group—about 50 million people—have diabetes.The more alarming number, though, sitsin the shadows. A recentLancet Global Healthanalysis reported that roughly 40% of Indians with diabetes did not know they had the disease at the time of the survey—about two in five casesundiagnosed. In other words, millions are walking around with high blood sugar slowly damaging their organs.

THE SCALE OF A "SILENT" EPIDEMIC

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease now account for around 63-65% ofall deaths in India, up from about 38% in 1990. Diabetes is both a disease in itself anda powerful multiplier—itamplifies the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and blindness.