8% of Gujaratis diabetic, 10.5% prediabetic: ICMR study

AHMEDABAD: A recent study by a team from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found that 8.1% of those surveyed in Gujarat, as part of the nationwide survey, were found to be diabetic, and 10.5% were prediabetic.
The findings were part of the recently-published 'Metabolic non-communicable disease health report of India: the ICMR-INDIAB national cross-sectional study' or ICMR-INDIAB-17 by Ranjit Mohan Anjana and others.The study was published in The Lancet's Diabetes and Endocrinology journal.
The findings indicated that prevalence of hypertension was 28.5%, general obesity 23.5% and abdominal obesity 30.6% in Gujarat. All these were found to be lower than the national average. An earlier study from 2017 covering several Indian states including Gujarat by the same team had found prevalence of diabetes to be 7%, a slight increase of 1.1 percentage points in six years.
City-based experts said that medical practice indicates much higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) than the survey's numbers. They said the disparity may be due to the methodology employed.
Dr Shashikant Nigam, an internal medicine specialist, said Gujarat has long been considered the diabetes capital of India due to its relatively high prevalence of diabetes. "In our practice, we see three of every 10 persons coming with blood sugar that is borderline or high - higher than what the study showed. In the older population, it is even higher. Likewise, prevalence of hypertension and obesity has also increased if we compare data from pre-Covid times," he said.
Dr Ramesh Goyal, a city-based endocrinologist and diabetologist, said the figure from the study may be lower due to the methodology. "Compared to several studies based in Gujarat, some other states were not included earlier. Over the years, there has been an increase in awareness and we see many prediabetic patients who control their blood sugar through regular medication," he said.
Dr Anish Nagpal, a bariatric surgeon, said the prevalence of obesity has increased in the state.