1 in 20 Delhi-NCR adults have both high blood sugar and blood pressure

According to the study, the association between the two diseases was also strong. People with diabetes were nearly four times more likely to have hypertension than those without diabetes. Conversely, people with hypertension were about 2.5 times more likely to have diabetes than those without hypertension.

‘People take it lightly’

Dr Rommel Tickoo, Senior Director of Internal Medicine at Max Healthcare, said the pattern is not unique to Delhi.

“This is not a Delhi-specific phenomenon. It’s an Asian, South Asian, nation phenomenon,” he told The Indian Express, pointing to a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. “There is some phenotype in our genes that causes it, as well as it being a lifestyle disease.”

The clustering of cardiometabolic diseases has also been documented globally. A 2026 analysis of nearly 3.4 million adults screened across 105 countries found that hypertension was present in 56.1% of participants who had two or more cardiometabolic conditions. The prevalence rose with the number of conditions, reaching 63.3% among those with diabetes, a previous heart attack and a previous stroke. The findings of this study have a practical implication: people with diabetes, heart disease or a history of stroke should not have their blood pressure overlooked. The researchers had called for greater efforts to improve blood-pressure control in these high-risk groups.

But in his practice, Tickoo said, the bigger problem is often not a lack of awareness that these diseases exist, but the casual way people treat them.

“I see patients every day, from young to old, suffering from this. The issue is that there is a lack of understanding of the nuances of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension,” he said. Even among educated and affluent patients, he added, many remain reluctant to take medication or undergo regular check-ups.

Misinformation on social media further complicates the problem, particularly around quick-fix treatments and fad diets.

“There is a lot of misinformation about hypertension and diabetes cures. People follow social media influencers, fad diets,” Tickoo said, citing weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic as an example.

“The people who are taking Ozempic don’t need it, and the people who actually need it, those suffering from obesity, aren’t taking it.”

The concern comes against a backdrop of a growing obesity burden. Recent ICMR-INDIAB studies estimate that more than 250 million people in India have generalised obesity, while over 350 million have abdominal obesity.

Tickoo warned that untreated diabetes and hypertension can eventually affect multiple organs. “These conditions need to be treated aggressively, with proper medication and lifestyle changes,” he said.

In his practice, he said, poorly controlled diabetes can be followed by fatty liver and high blood pressure, with smoking and alcohol use further increasing the risk.

“It affects your heart and renal functions badly,” he said.

Why screening for both matters

The Delhi-NCR findings come against a growing global burden of cardiometabolic disease. A 2021 Lancet analysis found that the number of adults aged 30-79 living with hypertension had doubled to 1.28 billion between 1990 and 2019, while fewer than one in five men and about one in four women with hypertension had their blood pressure under control. A separate 2024 Lancet analysis estimated that 828 million adults were living with diabetes in 2022 — 630 million more than in 1990.

The Delhi-NCR study argues that the findings should prompt a rethink of preventive healthcare, particularly for adults over 40.

Rather than screening for diabetes and hypertension separately, health assessments could routinely check blood sugar and blood pressure together, allowing both conditions to be detected earlier and treated sooner.

The researchers said stronger integrated screening could help reduce the risk of complications including cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney disease.