Fifty per cent spike in diabetes deaths worries experts

KOCHI: India has the second highest number of diagnosed diabetes patients in the world, behind China. While China has 9.2 crore patients, India has 7 crore. But looking at the rate of spread of the disease, diabetologists fear that India may soon overtake China. "The more shocking aspect is that the deaths due to diabetes in the country have gone up by 50 per cent in the five years from 2010. Apart from the increase in incidence, the number of diagnosed cases too has gone up in recent times," says Dr Suhas Erande, diabetologist from Akshay Hospital in Pune, who is in the city.

Dr Erande said that another shocking aspect is the percolation of the disease to the rural areas because of fast changing lifestyles due to increased urbanisation. Fortunately, there have been tremendous advances made in treatment of the disease in the past eight years. "Classes of drugs which do not result in hypoglycemia and weight gain have now been developed. The new drugs ensure better protection of organs like heart and kidney which are vulnerable to diabetes," he said.

But since majority of these drugs are coming from developed nations, they are out of the reach for Indian patients. "But, Teneligliptin, developed in Japan, is the cheapest among the drugs for type-2 diabetes with an average price of '10 per tablet, compared to other priced at '42," Dr Erande added.