‘Preventive healthcare needs to become national priority’

Apollo in its annual Health of the Nation report points out that rise in preventive screenings has led to an increase in the diagnosis of early risk factors like obesity and Dyslipidemia among Indians

Hyderabad: There is a 50 per cent increase in the prevalence of obesity among Indians between the years 2019 and 2022. Obesity has seen an uptick in diagnosis in those less than 45 years of age by 43 per cent and by 60 per cent in people over the age of 45.

Apollo in its annual Health of the Nation report points out that the rise in preventive screenings has led to an increase in the diagnosis of early risk factors like obesity and Dyslipidemia (cholesterol irregularities) among Indians across age groups.

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Dyslipidemia has seen an 18 per cent increase in prevalence among Indians between 2019 and 2022 and is fueled by a significant increase in its prevalence among those over 45 years of age by more than 35 per cent.

Along with these early risk factors, Apollo’s report also documented a rise in the prevalence of conditions like Diabetes and Hypertension. There is an increasing risk of Hypertension amongst Indians over 45 years, its prevalence in diagnosis having increased from14 per cent to to16 per cent in the last three years.

Dr Prathap Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said “preventive healthcare needs to become a national priority. Over the past three decades, non-communicable diseases have become the leading cause of death and suffering, contributing to 65 per cent of deaths in India.”