The Hindu : `Diabetes an emerging epidemic among middle class'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 02, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

`Diabetes an emerging epidemic among middle class'

By Our Special Correspondent

Chennai May 1. The city is the venue for intensive discussions involving medical professionals and State Governments on tackling the rising prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in the population.

In mid-April, the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre - India discussed ways to incorporating diabetes screening, education and management in the public health system, under the National Diabetes Control Programme (NDCP), which was attended by Secretaries and Directors of Public Health from Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.

Clearly, diabetes was an "emerging epidemic" particularly among the middle class, said A. Ramachandran, NDCP Chairman. "There is a strong link between increasing prevalence of diabetes and longer hours of TV watching", he said.

Major cities have a prevalence rate ranging from 9.3 per cent in Mumbai to 16.6 per cent in Hyderabad, with Chennai at 13.5 per cent and Kolkata/Delhi at around 11 per cent as per the National Urban Diabetes Survey, 2000.

What is more, 40 per cent of the adult Asian population has some form of glucose intolerance.

Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), a prediabetic condition, had a prevalence of 16.8 per cent in Chennai, while it was as high as 29.8 per cent in Hyderabad, studies in 2001 had shown Dr. Ramachandran said, adding that this only emphasised the need for a co-ordinated prevention strategy.

The delegates at the conference considered the prospects of starting diabetes units at various levels of the public health system, and also to rope in general practitioners in handling the problem.

Vijay Viswanathan, Joint Managing Director, Diabetes Research Centre, Royapuram, said the delegates resolved to address the need for primary prevention of diabetes and also take into consideration secondary prevention of diabetic complications and to incorporate new management strategies in different stages from primary to tertiary levels.

Among the participants were Gojka Roglic, technical officer, department of non-communicable diseases, WHO, who extended the co-operation of the international body in this country, and Ruth Colaguiri, Director, the Australian Centre for Diabetes Strategies who explained an Australian community initiative in managing diabetes.

Panel on diabetes

On Tamil Nadu's approach in assessing the extent of the problem and expanding care, the Health Secretary, Girija Viswanathan, said the State had formed a high-power committee on diabetes, and it would work to integrate diabetes control and management into the public health system.

Anil Kapur, Managing Trustee of the Novo Nordisk Education Foundation in India, outlined the cost of managing diabetes at the individual level, of which 48 per cent was devoted to treatment, 34 per cent to laboratory and monitoring, besides 18 per cent for doctor's expenses.

Workshop

In the second such meeting being organised in close succession, V. Mohan, president, and Rema Mohan of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF), Gopalapuram, are holding a national workshop on evolving guidelines for management of Type 2 diabetes, between May 2 and 4.

The main objectives of the ICMR - WHO workshop are to ensure that all people with diabetes receive optimal standards of care, promote consistency in clinical practice, aid in clinical decision making and ultimately improve the health outcomes of people with diabetes.

Senior delegates from ICMR will join the 70 participants, drawn from various connected disciplines.

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