Today, chronic diseases are a major public health problem worldwide. In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 61 per cent of all deaths — 35 million — were attributable to chronic diseases. By 2030, the proportion of total global deaths due to chronic diseases is expected to increase to 70 per cent.

Nearly half the people who have died of Covid in India had previously existing health conditions, with diabetes and hypertension being among the top few.

Also, India is considered to be the diabetes capital of the world with 69.9 million cases projected by 2025. The number of cases for diabetes has been doubling in the past 30 years as for heart diseases. These ‘lifestyle’ diseases are of even more concern as they are spreading at a fast pace amongst the young in both urban and rural settings.

In terms of attributable deaths, the leading metabolic risk factor globally is elevated blood pressure (to which 19% of global deaths are attributed), followed by overweight and obesity and raised blood glucose.