International Journal of Medical and Health Research

Authors
Dr. Nikhil Jariwala, Dr. Arun Tyagi

Abstract
Diabetes is fast gaining the status of a potential epidemic in India with more than 62 million diabetic individuals currently diagnosed with the disease. In 2000, India (31.7 million) topped the world with the highest number of people with diabetes mellitus followed by China (20.8 million) with the United States (17.7 million) in second and third place respectively. According to Wild et al. the prevalence of diabetes is predicted to double globally from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030 with a maximum increase in India. It is predicted that by 2030 diabetes mellitus may afflict up to 79.4 million individuals in India, while China (42.3 million) and the United States (30.3 million) will also see significant increases in those affected by the disease. India currently faces an uncertain future in relation to the potential burden that diabetes may impose upon the country. Many influences affect the prevalence of disease throughout a country, and identification of those factors is necessary to facilitate change when facing health challenges. So what are the factors currently affecting diabetes in India that are making this problem so extreme? The Indian Diabetes Risk Score, derived by CURES, proves to be a worthy screening program for early detection of diabetes. This score should be recommended for usage by family physicians& health care workers, so that they may advise their patients in a better manner. There should be implementation of universal screening and primary prevention programs to detect diabetes at an earlier stage before development of complications.