Due to sluggish symptoms, being undiagnosed is a significant obstacle in the fight against diabetes. Out of 100 individuals who were screened recently, the State Public Health Department recently found that 48 had undiagnosed diabetes.
According to the survey carried out by the health department, while working in the fields, Palghar resident Sabitri Shinde, 43, had a foot injury, which over the course of a month developed into a serious illness. The doctor urgently advised an immediate Haemoglobin A1c test when she finally sought medical assistance, but she disregarded him. Then, during the tests being conducted by the health department, she learned about her condition. During the door-to-door survey, it was found that she had an abnormally high blood sugar level, exceeding 410 mg/dL.
Shinde claimed that she constantly felt hungry, and despite overeating too, she lost a lot of weight. Even some of the town residents thought it might be black magic. However, according to the survey, she was diagnosed with diabetes. Health officials cautioned that if diabetes had not been properly managed, it may have resulted in necrosis in her infected foot.
Shinde is one of 11 lakh people in Maharashtra who were unaware they had diabetes until a health study revealed it.
Shinde's condition was identified by State Health Department employee Pallavi Tambe, who also revealed how people often overlook the signs of diabetes until they suffer associated consequences, including blindness, chronic renal disease, or other conditions.
As of August 2023, 10.9 lakh of the 22 lakh individuals above the age of 30 who were evaluated by the public health department throughout the state had been diagnosed with diabetes. 23 lakh, or 70.8 percent, of the 32.47 lakh patients who had their blood pressure checked had the condition; 5.49 lakh of them also had comorbid conditions.
District Civil Surgeon Dr. Charudatta Shinde of Nandurbar noted that Type 2 diabetes in particular can take some time to manifest symptoms. Because early symptoms can be undetectable or vague, many people go untreated. Additionally, he said that a few individuals may dismiss the symptoms or attribute them to other factors.
Maharashtra started the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Strokes (NPCDCS) in 2011. In 2018–19, it was gradually extended to all districts. "The programme began in Wardha and Washim in 2010–2011. Later, we began to spread it throughout the state. We also added the Mumbai district and its surrounding suburbs in 2021," a senior health officer from the public health department stated. He added that this is the first pan-Maharashtra statistic that the health agency has compiled.
Many patients enter hospitals at a late stage of prognosis due to the delay in diagnosis, particularly Type 2 diabetes, a chronic metabolic illness marked by insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels and frequently linked to lifestyle variables.
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