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High Blood Pressure, Diabetes among the top 5 risk factors of death in India.

Apr 11, 2022 Healthy Heart

Time for Effective lifestyle intervention to stay healthy during this pandemic: COVID-19

With growing concerns of co-morbidity related death in covid cases, it becomes far more important to bring sustainable changes to diet and lifestyle to regain health, control and in many cases even reverse lifestyle diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Hypertension, Tobacco use, Poor diet and High blood sugar levels are among the top 5 risk factors for death in India (2019). According to researchers including Sriniwas Goli from Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, life expectancy in India has risen from 59.6 years in 1990 to 70.8 years in 2019, ranging from 77.3 yrs in Kerala to 66.9 years in Uttarpradesh. With increase in life expectancy we are not witnessing a healthy ageing, rather people tend to live longer years with illness and disability. 

The surprising fact being these deaths due to lifestyle diseases are in the first place preventable, especially the largest risk factors to death in India over the last 30 years being NCD(s) like Ischaemic Heart Disease, COPD, diabetes and stroke. 

Even though the data is limited, the study “Comorbidity and its Impact on Patients with COVID-19” by Adekunle Sanyaolu et al reports as follows;

Due to SARS CoV-2 being a relatively new virus, the data available is limited, patients with comorbidities have more deteriorating outcomes compared with patients without. COVID-19 patients with a history of hypertension, obesity, chronic lung disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease have the worst prognosis and most often end up with deteriorating outcomes such as ARDS and pneumonia. Also, elderly patients in long-term care facilities, chronic kidney disease patients, and cancer patients are not only at risk for contracting the virus, but there is a significantly increased risk of death among these groups of patients”

Read full report at the following link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7314621/

The containment measures leading to sedentary lifestyle, change in sleeping patterns and working habits has impacted the health of working adults and even children who are home schooling these days. Attention to eating health and keeping physically active can be a gift to overcome the wellbeing challenges we face due to pandemic.

An initiative to help parents and elderly suffering from lifestyle diseases can be a remarkable step to take during these times. Building awareness on diabetes prevention strategies, diabetes reversal programmes, food for diabetes prevention, diabetes control with nutritional diet, ways to control BP, natural ways to lower blood pressure, things to avoid with high blood pressure, etc can be a good start.

Click here to speak to Candok Health Coach (Dietitians)  who could guide on preventing, managing lifestyle diseases and in many cases even reverse and reduce medications. (Reducing medications will be under the supervision of or family or treating physician) 

References :

1) Global Burden Study (GBD) by Lancet Journal.

2) The Lancet 392 (10159) ,1736- 1788,2018.

3) JD Stanway ,A Afshin ,E Gakidhou , SS Lim,D Abate ,KH Abate ,The Lancet 392

(10159) ,1995- 2051; 2018

4) Comorbidity and its Impact on Patients with COVID-19.Adekunle Sanyaolu,corresponding author1 Chuku Okorie,2 Aleksandra Marinkovic,3 Risha Patidar,3 Kokab Younis,4 Priyank Desai,5 Zaheeda Hosein,6 Inderbir Padda,7 Jasmine Mangat,6 and Mohsin Altaf8

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