A large community-based study involving over 57,000 adults from 14 States and a Union Territory (Chandigarh) in the country has revealed that the average prevalence of diabetes in these States stands at 7.3%. The prevalence varied from 4.3% of the population in the case of Bihar, to 10.4% in Tamil Nadu; Chandigarh was found to … Continue reading Nearly 50% of diabetics identified in 14 Indian States unaware of their condition
Dr. V. Mohan
Cardiovascular risk factors low but mortality high in India
People living in low-income countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have the lowest risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) compared with those living in high-income countries like Canada, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates. Yet, the rate of deaths from CVD is highest in the low-income countries, not in the high-income countries. The risk … Continue reading Cardiovascular risk factors low but mortality high in India
Editorial: Let the science decide on plioglitazone
That the Union Health Ministry takes critical decisions affecting a large number of people without any scientific basis does not portend well for public health in India. Neither the ban imposed on the oral anti-diabetes drug pioglitazone on June 18 nor its revocation a month later with a requirement that the medicine be sold with … Continue reading Editorial: Let the science decide on plioglitazone
Drugs board wants ban on Pioglitazone diabetes drug revoked
The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) on Friday recommended revoking the ban on pioglitazone — an oral anti-diabetic drug which was banned on June 18. But the DTAB, which was kept in the dark when the decision to ban was taken, has also recommended that the medicine be sold with a boxed warning (that the … Continue reading Drugs board wants ban on Pioglitazone diabetes drug revoked
Pioglitazone: no bladder cancer for 3 years
A three-year study (2005-2008) undertaken on 204 subjects who had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), a pre-diabetic stage, and who were on pioglitazone drug alone did not find any case of bladder cancer. The primary objective was, however, to see if the drug in addition to lifestyle modifications helped in preventing subjects with IGT from becoming … Continue reading Pioglitazone: no bladder cancer for 3 years
Diabetes drug: ‘Maybe I erred in my judgement’
There is growing evidence that the ban the Union Health Ministry imposed on June 18 on pioglitazone — a widely used anti-diabetes oral drug — was taken with undue haste and in great secrecy. There was no large-scale scientific study undertaken to know the risk of bladder cancer caused by the drug before imposing the … Continue reading Diabetes drug: ‘Maybe I erred in my judgement’
Depression: 15 % prevalence seen in Chennai
Published in the Hindu on October 1, 2009 A study of more than 25,000 individuals above the age of 20 (median age 40) in Chennai found that nearly 15 per cent of them had depression. The results are published online in the Open Access journal PLOS One. The study conducted by Dr. V. Mohan and … Continue reading Depression: 15 % prevalence seen in Chennai
Link between polished rice intake and diabetes found
Published in The Hindu on August 20, 2009 Rice is a major source of dietary carbohydrates. But the link between diet, rice in particular, and diabetes has not been studied in great detail till now. A paper published recently in the British Journal of Nutrition shows a clear link between the consumption of white, polished … Continue reading Link between polished rice intake and diabetes found