According to a new data set released by the WHO on NCDs, in India 59,95000 people died due to NCDs in 2016. This means that nearly 16,000 Indians are dying due to NCDs everyday. These deaths due to NCDs account for 63% of all deaths.
If this is not an epidemic then I don’t know what would be.
Amongst the risk factors, physical inactivity and raised blood pressure are the major killers.
If the mortality rate due to NCDs are not checked then India would miss the Global Targets of reducing NCD related mortality by 2025.
Diabetes or increased sugar levels in the blood is also one of the risk factors of the NCDs. According to the latest study on India’s Global Burden of Disease data, the mortality and morbidity due to diabetes has increased manifolds in the past two decades. The percentage change in the crude prevalence of diabetes between 1990 and 2016 was 39.4%. The study claims that the mortality due to diabetes and related diseases has seen an upward trend among the younger Indians. The percentage of total deaths due to diabetes at <70 years of age is 43% and percentage of deaths at >70 years of age is 57%.
The map below shows how major Indian states have come to the grips of the diabetes epidemic over the years. The major contributors for diabetes are states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Delhi, Punjab and Goa. However, the most troubling aspect of this map is the percentage change of prevalence of diabetes. Poorer states like Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha is seeing increase in diabetes prevalence.
Pubheal 