Diabetes cases doubled in India between 1990-2016:
Heart diseases and stroke increased by 50%, while deaths caused by them doubled between 1990 and 2016
NEW DELHI: In a startling revelation it has come to notice that the prevalence of ischemic heart diseases (IHD) and stroke have increased by over 50 per cent between 1990 and 2016 in India and in the same period the country has registered a two-fold increase in the cases of diabetes.
According to a Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2016, which is jointly conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), deaths caused by heart diseases and strokes have doubled in the same period. The study has been conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
As per the comprehensive analysis of several major non-communicable diseases (NCDS), Punjab has been ranked at the top for the burden of IHDS, followed by Tamil Nadu, and vice-versa for diabetes. In the cases of stroke, West Bengal was at the top position for the stroke burden, followed by Odisha.
As per the findings of the study, the number of chronic obstructive lung disease cases in India has increased from 28 million to 55 million from 1990 to 2016, and death rate among these cases is twice as high in the less developed states than in the more developed states.
The proportional contribution of cancers to the total health loss in India has doubled from 1990 to 2016, but the incidence of different types of cancers varies widely among the states. For cancer burden, Kerala has been ranked at the top followed by Assam.
According to the study, the contribution of air pollution to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYS) was found to be higher than that of smoking in India.
“Smoking is decreasing in India and even the household air pollution is decreasing, but ambient (outdoor) air pollution is increasing in most parts of India,” said Director General of ICMR Balram Bhargava.
Commenting on the findings, Bhargava said that one striking finding is that the age-standardised increase in the prevalence of IHD and diabetes, as well as their DALYS, has generally been highest in the less developed states of India, where the burden of another major NCD, chronic obstructive pulmo- nary disease (COPD), and communicable diseases is already high.
Among the major risk factors for IHD, stroke, and diabetes, the prevalence of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high fasting plasma glucose, and overweight has increased in all parts of India.
“These findings emphasise the need for the prevention and management of major NCDS to receive as much policy attention in these states as the reduction of the still high burden of communicable and childhood diseases,” Bhargava said.
Bhargava said that the government’s plans of establishing 1,50,000 health and wellness centres across India to provide comprehensive primary health care services would help deal with NCDS and injuries along with communicable diseases, as part of the ambitious Ayushman Bharat.