Only one in three with high blood sugar have good diabetes control in India: study

A nationwide study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and coordinated by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, has found that only a third of individuals with known diabetes in India have good control of diabetes.

The study also revealed fewer than half have good control of blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol, and only 7.7 percent of people with diabetes meet all three targets.

The study, comprising a vast sample size of 113, 043 people across 30 states and Union Territories of India, is the first extensive epidemiological study consisting of participants from all across the country.

The results of the study have been published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. 

The cross-sectional, population-based survey of adults aged above 20 years and sampled 33,537 urban and 79,506 rural residents present for the first time the status of diabetes control in the whole of India based on a nationally representative sample of 5,789 individuals with known diabetes.

Worrying numbers

The study revealed that only 36.3 percent of the population with diabetes achieved good glycemic control, 48.8 percent achieved good blood pressure control, and 41.5 achieved LDL cholesterol control.

Also, only 16.7 percent of the population reported using a blood glucose monitor to check their blood sugars at home and just 36.9 percent of those on insulin performed any self-monitoring of blood glucose, notwithstanding the guidelines that all such individuals should self-monitor their glucose levels regularly.

Higher education, male sex, rural residence, and shorter duration of diabetes were associated with the better achievement of the combined goals of diabetes treatment.

However, less than 20 percent of the diabetes population reported consuming three servings of fruits and vegetables per day, while the World Health Organisation recommends five servings a day and less than 25 percent of people with diabetes performed moderate to vigorous physical activity.

'Policy intervention required'

Dr. R M Anjana, the managing director, of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre and vice president, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, and the first author of the study said that the findings of this study are very significant as they provide new data on the achievement of diabetes treatment goals, such as HbA1c, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol in a population-based nationally representative study in India.

“..there is an urgent need to improve awareness regarding a healthy diet and importance of physical activity among the Indian population by governmental and non-governmental agencies,” she said.

Dr. V Mohan, a senior author of the study pointed out that as health is primarily the responsibility of each state in India, the information that the study has provided on interregional and interstate variations in the attainment of treatment targets would assist governments in formulating targeted policies for improving diabetes care delivery and surveillance in India.