Chandigarh
13 November 2021
DIVYA AZAD
Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are the two silent killers and most common risk factors for CVDs(Cardiovascular Diseases), said Dr. Sanjay Bhadada, Professor in the Department of Endocrinology, PGIMER, Chandigarh during the panel discussion entitled ‘Let’s join hands to reduce your risk to two silent killers- Hypertension and Diabetes’ on the occasion of World Diabetes Day, 2021. The panel discussion was held in the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh.
Dr Bhadada further reiterated the findings of the New England Journal of Medicine in which type 2 diabetes mellitus is almost 2.5 times more likely to develop in individuals with hypertension than the individuals having normal blood pressure, thereby indicating a synergistic and bidirectional pathogenic relationship between diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Dr Bhadada also emphasized that the prevalence of diabetes has increased from just 2% in 2010 to 8-10% in 2020. In fact, Chandigarh has become India’s ‘City of Diabetes’, observed Dr Bhadada.
Dr. Sonu Goel, Professor, Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh, and Chief Organiser of the event said, “It’s alarming that according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, 75% of Indian adults with Diabetes Mellitus also have hypertension.” He also gave a brief description of the project entitled, “Strengthening the management of hypertension services through capacity building, media and communication and stakeholders’ engagement in the state of Punjab” which is providing services to the state of Punjab in the form of advocacy, media engagement and providing technical support to reinforce the accessibility and availability of hypertension screening and treatment services. He threw light on the relevance of the theme of ‘World Diabetes Day’, i.e Access to Diabetes Care.
Deliberating upon the public health and preventive aspect of lowering the risk of getting the two silent killers, he further said, “We need to understand the importance of recognizing foods high in fats, salt and sugar (HFSS). The government of India should implement the Front of Package Labeling (FOPL) policy so as to promote the easy recognition of HFSS foods.”
Another panelist, Dr. Sreenivas Reddy, Professor, Department of Cardiology, PGIMER, Chandigarh and Professor and Head, Dept. of Cardiology, GMCH-32, Chandigarh pointed that High Blood Pressure readings are a common finding in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). The development of hypertension in diabetic individuals not only complicates treatment strategy and increases healthcare costs but also heightens the risk for macrovascular and microvascular complications considerably.
The panel discussion on the occasion of World Diabetes Day was held to orient public health experts, clinicians and the general public on the importance of tackling both the problems – diabetes & hypertension simultaneously.
