Kochi has developed into the blood sugar capital of India, closely followed by Thiruvananthapuram.
Doctors and health professionals are concerned about an even more dire prospect on the diabetes frontline amid Kerala’s battle against Covid-19, which continues to grow rapidly, as around 12,000 new cases have been reported daily for over a month.
Kochi, the commercial center, is known as the “diabetes capital of India” and even Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital, has a growing number of diabetics.
While the national average for diabetes is eight percent, it is 20 percent in Kerala and 16 percent in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, respectively.
In comparison, the corresponding numbers in other major Indian cities are significantly lower: nine percent in Mumbai, 10 percent in New Delhi and 12 percent each in Bangalore and Kolkata.
Dr. Jothydev Kesavadev, a prominent research diabetologist, vice president of Kerala for the All India Association for Advancing Research in Obesity, and chairman and executive director of the Jothydev Diabetes Research Center, told the Khaleej Times in an interview that a major episode of Covid-19 is in the state the likelihood of a massive increase in the number of people with diabetes and lifelong treatment.
“My main concern is the increase in the number of diabetes cases in Kerala, especially those recovering from Covid-19,” said Dr. Kesavadev.
“Since the beginning of the Covid crisis in February-March 2020, we have recognized that beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are affected. The stress caused by drugs used in Covid-19 patients has resulted in a sudden surge in the number of people with diabetes, “he said.
India has 76 million diabetics, but the Covid-19 crisis has seen that number rise to 90 million, he said.
“It has been estimated that the number would have reached 100 million in about a decade, but I’m afraid it would have exceeded that number by now,” he said.
While many of the Covid-19 patients will be cured, up to 30 percent of them will have diabetes as the use of corticosteroids leads to a significant increase in glucose levels.
Many also suffer from mild to severe mucormycosis, a serious fungal infection that afflicts Covid-19 patients across India.
Dr. Kesavadev warned that patients recovering from Covid-19 must proactively go to regular checkups and monitor high glucose levels. Diabetes, chronic kidney disease, retinopathy, and heart problems are diseases that many of these people are prone to, he added.
According to him, there is international consensus on the importance of measuring blood glucose in all patients admitted to the hospital, regardless of whether they are diabetic. Blood sugar levels are an important determinant of morbidity and mortality, especially in hospital patients. Even a slight increase in values can increase mortality in Covid-19 patients, said Dr. Kesavadev.
And since the blood glucose test only takes five to 10 seconds, it can be done by the nurse while the patient’s temperature is measured with a thermometer.
“This recommendation was widely supported, especially in the wake of Covid-19,” he said.
“It has been recognized that blood sugar is the main culprit in increasing its severity, contributing to infections such as mucormycosis and also leading to death,” he added.
When asked about the prevalence of diabetes among loved ones in Kerala of Abroad Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Dr. Kesavadev that this is widespread. “When close relatives live in another country for a long time, there is fear, depression and psychological agony,” he explains.
“It increases the likelihood that the person will develop diabetes and other health complications.”
There are large numbers of patients with relatives in the Arabian Gulf and other countries being treated at its facilities in Kerala, he said. “Covid-19 is a physical illness, but the psychological and stress elements need to be taken into account,” he added.
Dr. Kesavadev emphasized the importance of training doctors and nurses to manage and remotely monitor blood sugar levels in Covid-19 patients every three to four hours, and also referred to newer techniques, including multiple injections of fast-acting analog insulins. “It is challenging and extremely difficult to control high glucose levels in Covid-19 patients,” he added.
