11.1% of UT population diabetic: PGI study

“The 13.2 per cent city population is prediabetic (meaning who have a potential to be diagnosed with diabetes in the coming years),” said Dr Anil Bansali,the head of the endocrinology,at PGIMER which conducted this study.

Bansali,revealed the facts during a press conference on the study which has been conducted for the first time in Chandigarh with an aim was to assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with the presence of diabetes in urban Chandigarh. The study took more than one year and was conducted by the Department of Endocrinology and School of Public Health,PGIMER.

The study was conducted on 2,227 subjects both men and women from Sectors 8,11,23,24,37 and 42. The samples were selected randomly and 93 per cent of subjects surveyed were educated.

“We involved all sections of the society for the study like upper,upper middle,middle and upper lower from April 2008 to June 2009. The study was conducted above the age group of 20 and below 50. The blood samples were taken of the subjects while fastening and two hours after the breakfast,” the head said.

Bansali said that 11.1 percent of the subjects were diagnosed with diabetes which included both known diabetes and those with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus.

“Out of the those total surveyed,334 subjects which is 13.2 percent had prediabetes,” Dr Bansali said.

The subjects,on which the study was conducted were mostly obese. “67 percent of the subjects were suffering from obesity while 61 percent were physically inactive,” Dr. Bansali added.

The head said that the main reason for the diabetes was that two third of those studied had sedentary lifestyle which means that they were doing very less physical activity.

“In 1968,Prof Beehi conducted the last study in Chandigarh on diabetes which was conducted through urine examination. That time he had shown the prevalence at two percent,” Dr Bansali said.