Type 2 diabetes on rise among rural folk

• Admin
• 16 Feb, 2021

Coimbatore: From toiling farmers to sedentary women, diabetes is stalking them all in rural nooks of Tamil Nadu

Every day, about 250 women patients above 40 years age and with type-2 diabetes walk into the government hospital for treatment. “The population comes from both rural and urban areas. People are getting aware of the non-communicable diseases but at the same time they are leading a sedentary life,” said Dr S. Vengojayaprassad  diabetologist from CMCH. Around 60 women with type 2 diabetes come to Sri Ramakrishna Hospital and of them 10 falls above 30 years old.

“A hard working farmer from a rural area too is prone to diabetes. A 70-year-old man who works hard from morning till evening, with thin build body structure and rock solid hand was reported with diabetes in our hospital,” says Dr Suresh Damodharan, consultant endocrinologist and diabetologist at Sri Ramakrishna Hospital.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It is caused by a combination of factors which includes insulin resistance in the body. It is developed when the body can no longer produce enough insulin to compensate for the impaired ability to use insulin.

This type of diabetes develops in overweight and obese body. Earlier, it used to be seen only among middle aged and older aged people. Now it has become very common among young people as well as children, say doctors. And, the reason is overweight and obesity. It is shocking to see the rural population getting trapped in this type of disease. “We do not know what reasons are but possibilities are due to lifestyle change, access to smart phones and internet and could be also due to pesticides and also environmental factors.”

People who eat a lot of unhealthy food, have easy access to fast food and leading a sedentary lifestyle are at high risk of getting the type 2 diabetes.
 Gestational diabetes which happens during pregnancy is on rise. In a month the hospital receives around eight such cases.

“It happens if a woman is overweight before she gets pregnant, high blood sugar levels, if diabetes runs in your family or if there is history of gestational diabetes or polycystic ovaries,” he added.