3 per cent of Mumbai’s women have hypertension, 2 per cent diabetic

According to the findings of a health campaign carried out by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC 3 per cent of the 18plus woman population of Mumbai has hypertension while 2 per cent has diabetesThe data was obtained from health screenings that have held from September 26 under the lsquoMata Surakshit Toh Ghar Surakshitrsquo Mother Is Safe House Is Safe campaign The drive was to end on October 31 but has been extended to midNovember Experts however say the findings canrsquot be taken atface valueLifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension are taking a toll on Mumbaikars irrespective of sex and ageAlso Read Mumbai Confident about tackling Covid mutations say civic pvt doctorsIn Mumbai 213177 women were screened for hypertension out of which 6641 were diagnosed with the disease while 205345 were screened for diabetes and 4458 were diagnosed with the chronic conditionWhen midday asked the Deputy Executive Health Officer Daksha Shah why the numbers were so low she said ldquoThe figures may go up as the screenings have been extended till midNovember Usually we see the prevalence of both diseases in the above40 age group It might be possible that the people who have been screened till now are on the younger side The screening is still going on We might get a clear picture once we complete the campaignrdquoDr Shashank Joshi department of diabetology and endocrinology Lilavati Hospital said ldquoSurveys are not representative of the true population We cannot prejudge based on such sample sizes I donrsquot know what type of methodology was used to screen both diseases However prediabetes is prevalent In my practice I have seen both men and women suffering from these health issues If I talk about the ratio of total patients 60 per cent are men and 40 per cent are womenrdquoThe doctor said low physical activity high intake of sweets and sugar and inadequate sleep are to blame for the prevalence of the diseaserdquoDr Hemlata Arora senior consultant internal medicine at Nanavati hospital said ldquoThe number is just 2 per cent to 3 per cent because we are screening a wider age group wherein the number of women between 1840 is the highest and have comparatively lower comorbidities Also we are not aware how many 60plus women who have the highest share of lifestyle diseases could attend the screening If you change the demographics and check agewise data ie only 40plus women in urban areas the statistics can rise quite high Having said that even 2 per cent to 3 per cent of women testing positive in a random screening where women are unaware of their condition and considering our large population base itrsquos still alarming Annual screenings and healthy living should be promoted aggressively for women of all agesrdquoThe doctor added that in past few years a rise in lifestyle diseases among younger women has been witnessed due to a lack of physical activity and high intake of lownutritionyethighcalorie foods ldquoEven during Diwali most women used to cook delicacies at home but now almost all of them are buying processed sweetsrdquo she saidMeanwhile in the state 12589736 women were screened for hypertension between September 26 and October 21 out of which 439424 were diagnosed with the condition whilemdashin the same periodmdash7402797 were screened for diabetes out of which 214743 were diagnosed with the disease