Hypertension rising in urban India: Survey

Urban India seems to be in the grip of an epidemic of non-communicable diseases with a latest government survey revealing alarming trends of one in every seven people suspected to be suffering from hypertension and one in nine from diabetes.

Screening of almost 75 lakh people across the country till date, under the government’s National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, cardio-vascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS), has revealed that while almost 6.5 per cent of the population is suspected to be suffering from diabetes, over 5.5 per cent are hypertensive.

The survey results in urban areas of the country, including Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata, have given disturbing trends with almost 15 per cent people are suspected to be suffering from hypertension and 11 per cent from diabetes.

The latest survey covering 91 districts in 20 states of the country and supported by the union ministry of health and family welfare, is touted as the largest ever conducted so far across the world.

Health officials said the programme aims to screen the entire population comprising of all adults above 30 years of age and all pregnant women in 100 districts across 21 states of the country during the current year.

In the 12th plan, the programme aims to cover the total population comprising of all adults and pregnant women in all the 540 districts of the country for screening.