High Blood Sugar: Delhi-NCR Survey Shows Alarming Results, Poor Diabetes Awareness A Concern

Recently in April, BeatO - a digital app-based platform that provides comprehensive diabetes care programs to prevent, control and reverse diabetes under the guidance of experts - organised free diabetes screening camps across Delhi-NCR. The results were concerning as 35% of the people tested were found to have uncontrolled blood sugar levels. 84% of those who took the test at BeatO camps didn't know of their diabetes status and out of these, one-third were found with uncontrolled blood sugar levels.  Experts point out that the numbers bring show how many undetected diabetes cases remain and the lack of awareness in people about their blood sugar levels in Delhi-NCR. 

What Is High Blood Sugar And What Does The Data Indicate?

A random blood sugar test of more than 200 mg/dL or higher indicates you have diabetes. Of all the people tested (at random) who had uncontrolled sugar levels of <90 mg/dL or >160 mg/dL, 80% belonged to the age group of 36 and above, and 20% of the people who were below the age of 36 had uncontrolled readings.

According to the post-analytic data, 45% of women of age 46 and above were found with uncontrolled blood sugar levels, and 43% of men of age 46 and above were found with uncontrolled levels as well, pointing to hyperglycemia in the majority. Undetected high blood sugar or hyperglycemia that lasts, even if it's not severe, can lead to health problems that affect the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart.

Also Read: High Blood Sugar - 10 Tips For Diabetics Amid Covid-19 Spike

Delhi A Mirror To India: Poor Lifestyle Habits Leading To Diabetes

Commenting on the same, Mr. Gautam Chopra, the CEO and Founder of BeatO said “Delhi is a mirror of the nation at large. We at BeatO strongly believe that diabetes care and management are a consequence of adequate awareness and timely detection. Pre-diabetes has emerged as a colossal problem, especially among the youth. Being an asymptomatic condition, it is necessary to go the extra mile to identify individuals with prediabetes. Early screening and timely detection of prediabetes are becoming increasingly important to fight this condition.”

As per Dr Navneet Agrawal, Chief Clinical Officer at BeatO, the high incidence of diabetes and the growing risk can largely be attributed to the unhealthy lifestyle. Moreover, Delhi has undergone rapid urbanization in recent years, leading to lifestyle pattern changes. This has contributed to a higher prevalence of diabetes. A high intake of junk food, sugar-sweetened beverages, and processed foods, coupled with a desk-bound sedentary lifestyle leading to little or no physical activity is a major reason for skyrocketing cases of diabetes in Delhi.

Studies reveal that nearly 57% of adults with diabetes in India are undiagnosed. Currently, 25.2 million adults are estimated to have impaired glucose tolerance, which is estimated to increase to 35.7 million in the year 2045, shares BeatO.