Vasai hospital tests more than 800 youth for diabetes, hypertension and depression, finds 25-30 percent incidence in below 30-year-olds

PALGHAR, VASAI: A private hospital at Parnaka near Zenda Bazar in Vasai city – the St. Mary Advance Care Hospital, conducted tests for diabetes, hypertension and depression among about 800 youth and after analysing and data mining the results, found that about 25-30 percent of the youth tested were either already diabetic or were pre-diabetic or suffering from either depression or hypertension.

Dr Pranav Kabra along with his team at the St Mary Advance Care Hospital located at Hathi Mohalla in Vasai West who conducted the tests said most of the youth tested were in the age group of 24 to 30 years and there were an almost equal number of males and females in the random test group across Vasai city.

According to the findings of the survey and tests conducted over the last one week, more and more youth even in smaller cities or towns are susceptible to diabetes, hypertension and depression.

“We found 2-3 youth as young as 20-21 years of age who were pre-diabetic or prone to hypertension. Each individual was subjected to several medical tests like HbA1c, Random Blood Sugar, CBC and others before concluding that they were either diabetic or pre-diabetic,” said Dr Kabra.

The individuals tested were from Tam Talao, Papdy, Holi, Giriz, Manickpur and other localities of Vasai, the hospital said.

The incidence of pre-diabetes in youngsters in very high and is not restricted to only places like Mumbai and Delhi. Residents of smaller town and cities are also recording incidence of pre-diabetes at alarmingly younger ages.

The St Mary Advance Care Hospital has announced free medical camps in the city to encourage youth and senior citizens alike to come forward and get tested for various lifestyle diseases like diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in several references has stated that India is the diabetes capital of the world, after overtaking China and has a staggering number of pre-diabetic patients.

The St Mary Advance Care hospital is offering residents of Vasai, over 100 medical, diagnostic and pathological tests completely FREE, during a special medical awareness camp over this weekend and the next weekend.

St Mary Advance Care Hospital situated at Parnaka, Hathi Mohalla, Vasai West, in a media note, said they are conducting a mega FREE medical check-up camp within the hospital premises, on Saturday and Sunday, 13th and 14th May as well as the next weekend and will be offering over 100 different diagnostic and pathological tests free for Vasaikars or residents of Vasai on the two days. The aim is to identify lifestyle diseases in youth as well as senior citizens.

One needs to pre-book a test slot or time to avoid overcrowding and chaos. In addition to advanced tests like LFT (Liver Function Test) or CBC, basic tests for blood pressure (BP), RBS (random blood sugar), BMI, etc., will be done for all attending the weekend camp over the next two weeks. Preference is given to senior citizens and youth, Dr Kabra said.

According to a media statement issued by the hospital, the free testing service is being offered to all residents of Vasai to study the incidence of diabetes, hypertension and depression among youth between the age group of 21 to 30 years. Everyone is encouraged to avail of the free testing facility to find out if they are pre-diabetic or have any diabetes-related possibilities. “With our advance testing models, we can predict if a 25-year-old youth has any existent issues or symptoms that could lead to diabetes say after 10 or 20 years, when he is 40 or 45 years old, said Dr Kabra, adding that it is a social service for the benefit of the residents of Vasai.