A new study published in Lancet has found that 101 million people in India – 11.4% of the country’s population – are living with diabetes.
The study commissioned by the health ministry also found that 136 million people – or 15.3% of the people – were living with pre-diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the condition.
People have high blood sugars because they are unable to make enough insulin, a hormone, or respond to it properly.
The latest study, published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, is considered to be the first to comprehensively cover every state to assess the country’s burden of non-communicable diseases.
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Researchers said they found that the prevalence of diabetes in India’s population was much higher than previously estimated. The WHO had estimated 77 million people suffering from diabetes, and nearly 25 million were pre-diabetics, at a higher risk of developing diabetes in near future.
“It is a ticking time bomb,” Dr RM Anjana, lead author of the study and managing director at Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, told The Indian Express newspaper.
“If you have pre-diabetes, conversion to diabetes is very, very fast in our population; more than 60% of people with pre-diabetes end up converting to diabetes in the next five years,” she said.
Indian patients suffering diabetes and supporters participate in “Beat Diabetes,” a 5kms walkathon aimed at spreading awareness about diabetes in Bangalore on November 21, 2010
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