Pune (Voice News Service): While India becoming the diabetes capital is a concern, the bigger concern is the number of young diabetics, according to experts. The World Diabetes Day is observed on 14 November every year and with each year awareness about type 1 and type 2 diabetes is increasing. Yet the fact remains that more and more young people are being diagnosed with higher sugar levels.
Dr.Uday Phadke, Endocrinologist and Diabetologist at Sahyadri Hospitals said that Diabetes in India comes with some worrying and distinct characteristics. Indians are more prone to diabetes with higher insulin resistance, central obesity, higher A1C, smaller coronary arteries, environmental and other factors. This makes diabetes in India different. Faulty / sedentary lifestyle including lack of sleep & exercise along with improper diet, high calorie foods, increasing stress, obesity are adding to the already grim situation. He added that many people today come to us in their 30s with high blood sugar levels. Many of them may have complications right at the onset and subsequently high incidence of cardiovascular or renal problems. Diabetes at a younger age means they may develop complications early in their life, if the disease is not managed properly.
For eg. Some of the people even present with cardiac issues, the underlining problem being high sugar levels which went undetected. This was evident during the pandemic also. To add to this, because of the asymptomatic nature, there is no regular screening to check sugar levels as well as the status of the organs at risk.
We need to change this. For those who have diabetes, a structured program must include regular consultation, sugar level checkup, status of health of organs such as eyes, heart, kidneys and consultation regarding lifestyle. There is a need to move forward in an organized way with help of proper medical records which will ensure that we don’t resort to adhoc treatments based on the prevailing symptoms at that time. A specific roadmap is necessary.
When should a normal person get checked for sugar level? Considering the alarming situation in our country, anybody who is 30 or above years of age, should get checked for blood sugar levels opined Dr Phadke. Also those considering pregnancy, having irregular periods, experiencing impotency, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, tingling in the limbs or any vague symptoms should check sugar levels.
