Blood samples from 131437 men and 93289 women - were processed and evaluated through these tests across the four zones. The samples from the Eastern zone showed the highest number of abnormal blood sugar values, denoting high prevalence of diabetes. East Zone was followed by samples from north, west and south zones, respectively.
Dr. Deepa Dave, Director Operations SRL Labs said, “We all know that diabetes is not a new disease, as it was identified way back in 250 BC. In India, an estimated 7.8% of the adult population has raised blood sugar level or are on treatment for diabetes. However, nearly half of the population with diabetes is unaware about their disease. This is because, the warning signs of this disease are so mild that people do not notice them at all; hence one should opt for regular blood check-up. Nowadays routine blood sugar testing is available easily.”
She further added, “One should not be alarmed with a diagnosis of pre-diabetes- a precursor to diabetes, where the blood sugar levels are above normal but not high enough to be deemed diabetic. It is a warning sign and a chance to make lifestyle changes for the better. Changes in diet and increasing physical activity go a long way in reducing the risk of developing diabetes by half.”
The analyzed data from these samples showed men had more blood sugar abnormalities than women. Of all the samples tested, 44.54% of men showed abnormal values, while 40.84% of women had abnormal FBS, PPBS and HbA1c values.
In the zone mapping, 55% of eastern samples showed abnormal values when compared with northern (41%), western (41%) and southern (39%) areas of India.
Moreover, when the tests were analyzed on the basis of age group ¬, the samples from age group 46-60 years showed the highest percentage of abnormalities across all the zones. In the Western zone, the candidates above age 60 showed higher percent of abnormal values.