More than one-fourth of the adults suffer from diabetes and hypertension

Kochi: More than one-fourth of the citizens, irrespective of their gender, in Ernakulam suffer from blood sugar and high blood pressure (HBP) or hypertension. Such a group is as well highly vulnerable to Covid-19. These two complications are the most common co-morbidities in Covid patients that sometimes can the reason behind the worst clinical outcomes.

Nearly 26% of the people are suffering from very high blood sugar levels and are under treatment while 30% of the lot are suffering from hypertension.

These findings are based on the ministry of health and family welfare’s district health fact-sheet in the year 2019-20. It mainly took into account the people aged above 15 years.

Dr. Jothydev Kesavadev, diabetologist of Kerala stated, “Born in South Asian ethnicity, we are genetically predisposed and two or three times at a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease and diabetes. The only way to fight it is bringing in lifestyle changes sleeping seven to eight hours a day and exercising”.

Studies from the state hint at the fact that every one in five individual suffers from diabetes and one in three individual suffer from blood pressure. The poor rate of control and the high expenditure for maintenance have made Kerala the main center of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country.

Unhealthy diets and lack of physical exercise irrespective of their age and economic stature have contributed to the rise of such diseases. 52% of the death in the age bracket of 30 to 70 have been due to these non-communicable diseases.

Dr Sheetal Binu, a physician from Kochi opined, “Higher prevalence of hypertension and diabetes has been known to occur in states with greater urbanization. It may be related to unhealthy lifestyle- food habits, lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption”.

The massive spread of urbanization and modernization that has infiltrated the grassroots of the state , irrespective of the region and economic strata, have been the sole reason for the spread of NCDs.

In the present scenario, NCDs is a real threat to the whole lot of people in relation to morbidity, mortality and economic burden.

The doctors are mostly concerned on the fact that the people who are suffering from NCDs are neither under regular checkups nor under a prescribed treatment.

A physician from Ernalulam General Hospital, Dr T P Vijayan is of the opinion, “Almost 50% of the patients don’t know that they have hypertension or diabetes till they develop complications and those who are confirmed to have NCDs many don’t take medicines prescribed to them. This later leads to complications”.