The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has forecast that by 2025, 57 million Indians might become victims of diabetes if they do not change their lifestyle and food habits for better and balanced diet.

A paper brought out by Assocham on 'Epidemic of New Millennium - Diabetes' says that presently 25 million Indians suffer from diabetes, a substantial increase from 19 million in 1995. It says that out of India's current population of over 1 billion, the magnitude of diabetes is currently spread at 3 per cent in its rural population. However, in the urban population, the number of patients that currently suffer from diabetes are estimated at 10 to 11 per cent of the total diabetics patients of 25 million.

The menace of diabetics is presently confined to 10 per cent at higher level and in lower social class, it is estimated at 33 per cent. The number of non-insulin dependant diabetics mellitus (NIDDM) in India is estimated at 98 per cent, according to Assocham.

Commenting on the domestic scenario on diabetics, the paper says that 11.6 per cent of Delhi population suffers from this disease which in case of Mumbai is estimated at 9.3 per cent of its total population. 12.4 per cent of Bangalore population is diabetic, while in Chennai its percentage estimated is at 13.5 per cent.

In Hyderabad and Kolkata, the number of diabetic patients is estimated at 16.6 per cent and 11.7 per cent of their total population, said Assocham president, Venugopal N. Dhoot.

The paper also estimates that by the year 2025, the number of persons with diabetes is expected to increase in developed countries by 41 per cent from 51 million now to 72 million and by 170 per cent in developing countries, i.e. from 84 to 228 million.

It warns that uncontrolled diabetes can affect various parts of the body which included blood vessels, heart, kidney, eye, food and nerves. Therefore, the paper advises adequate preventive measures need to be adopted to further control the spread of diabetics among Indian populace.

Diabetics is one of the most common non communicable disease worldwide and a fourth leading cause of death in developed world. The paper has projected that the number of diabetic patients worldwide would go over 300 million by 2025 with a percentage increase of 127.

As compared to India, United States and China have lesser number of diabetic patients as their number in China is currently estimated at 17 million against 14 million in US. The paper further projects that diabetics scenario in China and US would be such that in China the diabetic patients number would touch 34 million and in case of US 21 million by 2025.

Clinical features of diabetics include general weakness, polyuria and polydipsia, polyphagia and weight loss, burning feat, recurrent skin infection and frothing in urine, says the paper. It concludes that larger intake of vitamins such as Alpha-Lipoic Acide, vitamin E, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and Folic Acid will keep human populace off diabetics.

Among other remedial measures to keep off diabetes from human population can be through public-private partnership in health as the 21st century is the century of technology in which the main aim is prevention and early detection of disease.