Hyderabad, with a case load of 18 lakh diabetics, is seeing a sharp rise in cardiac problems which is emerging as a big worry for the government and medical experts in the city, said experts at a health seminar in the city. “The situation is grave as there is 90 per cent chance of diabetics dying of heart disease. Similarly, recent trends show how cardiac patients have undiagnosed diabetes, which ordinary blood tests do not reveal,” Dr Ganesh Mathan, senior cardiologist at Sunshine hospital, said at ‘Icon – 2016’, a seminar on diabetes health awareness in the city. Recent studies show how one in six persons above 30 years of age in Hyderabad are becoming diabetic, and every year the number is increasing by 20 per cent.
“Lack of screening is contributing significantly to diabetes case load in the city, with 22 per cent of all general patients in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh turning out to be diabetic,” said Dr Sanjoy Paul, senior diabetologist at Apollo Sugar, at the seminar organised by Hyderabad Bangalee Samity.
Speaking at the event, principal secretary, health, Rajeshwar Tiwari explained the seriousness of diabetes and how the government was learning to effectively manage the disease from developed countries and planning to implement it here.
In Telangana, awareness campaigns are much more focused on communicable diseases, but not much on lifestyle diseases, Dr Paul emphasised.
