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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has projected an increase in the incidence of diabetes in the Indian population to 57 million by 2025 from the current level of about 26-27 million people.

CHENNAI, Feb. 23

ABOUT 16 per cent of the metro population in India above the age of 20 is diabetic (Type II diabetes) as against an average of 12.1 per cent for urban India. For the same segment of population, nearly 23 per cent suffer high blood pressure (hypertension), and 15.8 per cent, depression.

The findings are the outcome of a population-based study, Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (Cures), conducted by the Madras Diabetic Research Foundation (MDRF). Though the study was limited to Chennai, Prof V. Mohan, Managing Director (MDRF), said the findings "will hold good for metros".

Cures covered a sample size of about 26,000 people spread over Chennai. According to Prof V. Mohan, it is "perhaps one of the biggest studies done on diabetes in the country". The primary objectives of the study are to explore the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and attendant complications in the population. The sample covers all income groups, and Prof Mohan said there was "no bias of any sort in the data".

He termed India as the "diabetes capital of the world", and indicated that World Health Organisation (WHO) projected an increase in the incidence of diabetes in the Indian population to 57 million by 2025 from the current level of about 26-27 million people. MDRF forecast that the direct cost of treating diabetes (medicines) would touch Rs 57,000 crore by 2025 as against a cost of Rs 9,500 crore in 1995.

A critical finding of the study is the low awareness level of diabetes in the sample population. About 25 per cent of the sample population was unaware of the existence of diabetes. About 78 per cent of the sample did not know that diabetes is preventable. A large number of professionals (doctors, lawyers etc.) are also unaware that diabetes can be prevented is an important finding in the study.

According to Prof. Mohan, while heredity is the most significant cause of the incidence of diabetes, in combination with obesity, the risk of turning diabetic greatly increases.

About 22.3 per cent of the sample population was termed obese by the study's findings. Even among the segment of population earning less than Rs 2,000 per month, about 19.5 per cent was classified as obese (reference point was the Body Mass Index (BMI) criterion of the American Diabetes Association). The incidence of obesity increased with monthly income: about 36.07 per cent of the population earning above Rs 20,000 per month were obese.

There is a three-fold increase in the prevalence of diabetes as one moves from being lean to obese said Prof. Mohan.

The Chennai Willingdon Corporate Foundation (CWCF), an organisation of 54 corporate bodies, funded the study. The CWCF donated Rs 50 lakh towards the study.

Prof Mohan said the next phase of the study would cover rural areas, and the total sample will increase to about 50,000 people, thereby making it "one of the largest in the world".

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