Diabetes in India: 24 pc across age groups are prediabetic in 5 cities, men more vulnerable, reveals study

Diabetes in India: As many as 24 per cent of people across age group had borderline levels of blood sugar that means they were prediabetic. The study was conducted in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, and Hyderabad by Neuberg Diagnostics. More than 42 crore people around the world have diabetes and every year 16 lakhs people die due to the disease, according to details provided by the World Health Organisation.

The study assessed 4,53,854 fasting blood sugar test samples across age groups collected between October 2018 and October 2020. The results indicated that across age groups, 24 per cent of the people had borderline levels of blood sugar. The highest prevalence was observed among those over 50 years age at 68 per cent followed by 36 to 50 years of age group at 24 per cent. The prevalence among those less than 35 years of age group was 8 per cent, Neuberg Diagnostics stated.

The study also found that the prevalence of prediabetes in male was around 25 per cent whereas in female it was 23 per cent. Apart from this if we take close look, the study shows around 0.32 per cent of prediabetics were from 0-18 age group. Notably, the standard fasting blood sugar test value between 100 to 125 was considered as prediabetics for the study.

Before becoming a diabetic, a healthy person goes through a stage of prediabetes. This stage could be a few months to couple of years depending on lifestyle and diet. During prediabetes stage, blood sugar is elevated, but not enough to satisfy the international criteria for diabetes, Medical Director of Neuberg Diagnostics Dr. Sujay Prasad said.

Executive Director of Neuberg Diagnostics Dr. Sandip Shah said that the study shows the Genetics has a role on the propensity of people having borderline diabetes. Therefore, diabetic patients must ensure that their children are keeping a tab of their sugar levels from the age of 18 years. Apart from this, parents must remain watchful of other symptoms in younger children, he said.