Chennai: A data analysis suggests that Chennai is fast becoming the diabetes capital of the country.
Out of the total of 2,71,489 samples tested for diabetes from January 2019 to Augusut 2020 in the Chennai lab of Metropolis, as many as 15 percent were found to be suffering from poorly controlled diabetes.
The incidence of poorly controlled diabetes was found to be the highest (20 per cent of the sample) in the age group of 20-30 years, followed by 30-40 years (about 20 per cent) and 40-50 years (19 per cent).
Currently, one in every four people under 25 has adult-onset diabetes, a condition more usually seen in the age group 40-50 years, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Inactivity and the excessive consumption of high-calorie foods, increase diabetes’ risk factors.
For this reason, diabetes is often classed as a ‘lifestyle disease’ and is found in higher numbers among the young age group of 20-30. As per reports, 72 million cases of diabetes were recorded in the year 2017.
The growth of availability of fast food which is relatively cheaper than healthy food is most preferred among the office-goers. With more and more options opening up every day, the figure is expected to double by the year 2025.
The incidence was the lowest in the age group 80 years and above (eight per cent), but increased steadily to peak in the age group of 20-30 years.
Men are more prone to diabetes, as the survey showed that 25 per cent of all males tested were found to suffer from unsatisfactorily controlled diabetes compared to 23 per cent for females.