More than 10 million people in India are affected by diabetes. In 2019 this number was like seven crore. This information has been reported in a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research published in the UK’s Lancet journal. News: Times of India‘R.
Another 13.6 million people in India, i.e. 15.3 percent, are pre-diabetic.
The paper suggests different strategies across states to curb diabetes. States with fewer facilities have higher rates of diabetes. In the next few years, the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal and Bihar are likely to witness a massive increase in diabetes, the researchers said.
26.4 percent in Goa, 26.3 percent in Ponducherry and 25.5 percent in Kerala are suffering from diabetes. Nationally, the average number of diabetics in states is 11.4 percent.
In India, states that are educationally and economically advanced have relatively less diabetes.
The study was conducted on the data of 1.1 million rural and urban Indians between October 18, 2008 and December 17, 2020.
President of Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and one of the authors of the research paper Dr. Ranjit Mohan Anjana said, ‘Uttar Pradesh has the lowest diabetes with 4.8 percent. However, the number of people with pre-diabetes is 15.3 percent. Madhya Pradesh has three pre-diabetes against one diabetic. Sikkim is a slight exception, where both diabetes and pre-diabetes are high. We have to find out the reason.’