Most Indians unaware of their sugar levels, says study

A recent study has revealed that nearly 52 per cent of Indians did not know that they had high blood sugar levels.

Speaking on the occasion of World Diabetes Day, Dr V Suriraju, CEO, Regal Hospitals, said, “The latest global figures on diabetes, released by the International Diabetes Federation has raised a serious alarm for India. According to figures, nearly 52 per cent of Indians were not aware that they were suffering from high blood sugar.”

Various camps were organised by healthcare providers in the City on Saturday to mark the day. Fortis Hospitals conducted a free diabetic screening camp across Bengaluru with an aim to create awareness on diabetes mellitus. Regal hospital organised a walkathon from the hospital premises at Hegde Nagar to Narayanpura Cross.

Dr Srinivas Munigoti, Consultant Diabetologist and Endocrinologist, Fortis Hospitals, said, “Diabetes was known to affect mostly adults aged over 40, but these days, with changing lifestyles even the younger crowd is affected by this disease. Almost 600 million of us may be living with Type 2 diabetes in the world by 2035. Delayed diagnosis means that many people with Type 2 diabetes suffer from at least one complication by the time they are diagnosed with diabetes.”

Another study conducted by Lifespan shows that one in three Indians are ignorant about the fact that diabetes could lead to heart disease.

The study was conducted among 6,822 Indians in 11 cities and the data was compared with cumulative data from 13,697 patients who visited Lifespan.

They also found that while 69 per cent diabetics have higher risk of autonomic nervous system dysfunction, 40 per cent were unaware that the disease can cause numbness in their hands, fingers and feet, which can progress to neuropathy.

Also, 27 per cent of them consumed honey, jaggery or fruit juices and 44 per cent believed these are actually good for people suffering from diabetes.