New Delhi: According to a research conducted by Association of Physicians of India (API) it has been found that 9 out of every 10 people suffering from Diabetes are unaware about their condition believeing their blood sugar is under control.
According to Times of India, the results of the survey were announced on Wednesday, involved 1,500 adults with diabetes, 302 caregivers and 60 doctors across eight cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune.
"The World Health Organization last year announced that sugar is the new tobacco. Just as tobacco which is one of the leading causes of cancer, sugar leads to diabetes," said API president Dr Shashank Joshi. "Yet people don't view diabetes seriously."
India is the second largest in the world in terms of prevalence of Diabetes and it is one of the most serious health problem faced by the society today.
The International Diabetes Federation pegs the number of patients with diabetes in India at 65.1 million (it was 50.8 million in 2010). The number is expected to cross 100 million by 2030.
"More than 50% people with diabetes (mostly women) believe that it has impacted their personal life while men with diabetes believe the condition impacts professional life due to exhaustion and fatigue. Women are also more aware about the impact of diabetes than men," said the survey.
The survey also suggested that 54% of the patients interviewed had developed at least one complication associated with diabetes.
Many people are not aware that sugar fluctuations occur throughout the day. "These sugar swings are responsible for complications associated with diabetes. People don't realise that skipping a meal or pill won't do. Worse, they don't know that if you skip a meal, then skip the pill too. The lack of awareness about diabetes is worrisome," said Dr Joshi.
One in three respondents experienced hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). These sugar level fluctuations, a factor that has been observed in the Indian population with diabetes, puts people at increased risk of complications, including neuropathy (nerve problems: 24.6%), cardiovascular complications (heart disease: 23.6%), kidney problems (21.1%), retinopathy (eye problem: 16.6%) and foot ulcers (5.5%), said the survey.
