Physiology

Diabetes

India has the dubious distinction of being the diabetes capital of the world. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that the number of diabetic patients in India has more than doubled from 19 million in 1995 to over 41 million now. Up to 11 per cent of India's urban population above the age of 15 has diabetes.

Cancer

Cancer is the second biggest cause of death in India, growing at 11 per cent annually. There are 2.5 million cancer cases and four lakh deaths a year in India. In 1991, six lakh new cancer cases were diagnosed; that figure has now risen to eight lakh. Smoking one to seven cigarettes daily doubles the cancer risk. One in five Indian men dies between age 30 and 69 due to tobacco-related cancers.

Chronic Diseases and Lifestyle

Chronic diseases are typically long-lasting conditions that can be controlled but not cured. They are among the most costly health problems and, ironically, the most preventable. South Asians have the highest incidence of coronary artery disease in the world. India has the highest number of people with Type-2 diabetes. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer and stroke are the leading causes of death and disability in India, and account for 53 per cent of all deaths and 44 per cent of disability-adjusted life years.

Heart Disease

India suffers the highest loss in potentially productive years of life due to CVD in people between age 35 and 64-from nine million years lost in 2000 to 18 million by 2030. It's the single leading cause of death.

Kidney Trouble

Diabetes leads to chronic kidney diseases (CKD). The national ckd registry organised by the Indian Society of Nephrology records 45,885 patients admitted to 166 kidney centres in the country till January 2010. It is noted that CKD due to diabetes heads the list at 31 per cent.