With a recent trend showing the prevalence of diabetes in young people, doctors and researchers have suggested the age of national screening to be reduced to 25 years.
At present, screening for lifestyle diseases including diabetes and hypertension, are arranged in 30 years and above, freely offered at the government clinic.
In a study published in the journal Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Research and Clinical Reviews, doctors said screening for diabetes in India must begin at 25 years, to help control the disease and prevent complications.
In addition, it must be highly targeted with excessive individuals and obesity, and those who have a history of diabetes.
This is based on data analysis that shows an increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in individuals aged 30 years and less, with the majority of them being overweight.
National Prevention and Cancer Control Program, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (NPCDC) said screening for cancer (breast, cervical and oral), diabetes and high blood pressure, from the target population (age 30 years and above,) carried out either through opportunistic approaches and / or camp at various levels of health facilities and also in urban slums big cities.
The screening of urban slum populations will be carried out by local governments / cities in cities with more than 1 million populations.
“ The initial diagnosis makes sense because by controlling early diabetes will delay and avoid complications, which will save not only a large amount of money issued in complications and hospitalizations, but also at productivity ” losses, Dr.
Anoop Misra, Chair of Delhi based Fortis Center of Excellence for diabetes, metabolic diseases and endocrinology (C-DOC) told TII.
In addition, diabetes as seen during Covid-19 is much worse than before the pandemic.
“ India is a high-risk population.
Initial checks will cause a better diagnosis and management and will also prevent complications “, joint writers and endocrine experts Dr.
Shashank Joshi.
Recently, in August, the United States prevention service unit reduces the age of screening from 40 to 35 years.
They also said that Asian Americans must be screened at a younger age.
Indians get diabetes decades younger, therefore the age of screening is around a decade lower (30 years vs, 40 years in the US), Misra noted.
Even worse, more than half the case of feared diseases is not diagnosed in India, suggest data.
This study was carried out together by Fortis C-DOC, India National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation, Diabetes Foundation (India), Indian Diabetes Research Foundation, among others.
Evidence shows that type 2 diabetes can be often prevented, while early diagnosis and access to proper care for all types of diabetes can avoid or delay complications, said the recent international diabetes federation, noted alarming growth in the prevalence of diabetes, in front of the world of diabetes Day on November 14.
During 2015-2016, more than 1.29 crore people were played at the designated NCD clinic under the NPCDCS.
Among the NCD clinic participants, around 8% were diagnosed with diabetes and 12% with hypertension.
However, it should be noted that this program was launched nearly a decade, and since then diabetes has shown increased trends, this research shows.
The retrospective cross-sectional analysis of patients who visited the Tertiary Care Center in Chennai between 2009-2018 showed a trend of increasing the number of patients under 30 years.