A global study by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) on World Diabetes Day reveals that over 87% of individuals in India discover their diabetes diagnosis after experiencing associated complications.
World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by the IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. It is marked every year on November 14 to raise awareness about the condition. This year’s theme is ‘Know your risk’ and ‘know your response’.
97% of Indians with Diabetes Encounter Complications
The global research, which included 700 adults living with diabetes in India, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, China and Nigeria, showed that 97 percent Indians surveyed experienced one or more diabetes complications during the course of their life with diabetes. Diabetes-related complications can be serious and, in some cases, life-threatening. They include damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys and feet.
“Nearly every person living with diabetes in India has experienced at least one complication, which highlights a lack of knowledge around how to manage the condition,” said Dr. Banshi Saboo, Diabetologist and Chairman of Diabetes Care and Hormone Clinic in Ahmedabad, in a statement on Monday.
“More needs to be done to improve diabetes awareness and provide education to support the early detection and management of complications. What we have learned offers a stark reminder that diabetes often goes undetected until one or more complications are present,” Dr. Saboo added.
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The most common complications globally experienced were eye (46 percent), foot (38 percent), and oral health (37 percent) problems.
Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for over 90 percent of all diabetes, often develops silently, with symptoms that go unnoticed. As a result, many people with the condition, more than 50 percent in some countries, are not diagnosed and, as the research suggests, complications are already present. The risk of complications can be significantly reduced through early detection, timely treatment and informed self-care, the researchers said.
Source: IANS
