Diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases affect more than 10 crore Indians

Pollution could explain the urban-rural divide in heart diseases

The presence of PM 2.5 in the air has been identified as a potential reason

Diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases affect more than 10 crore Indians. There are many factors attributing to the unusually higher prevalence in comparison to other western countries. “Given the pathophysiology of Indians – low BMI with a high proportion of fat – we are more prone to diabetes than the western population,” said Siddhartha Mandal, a researcher at Centre for Chronic Disease Control, Delhi as per a report in The Guardian. 

Two studies conducted across Delhi and Chennai have now shed light on the possibility that pollution could be a contributing factor. “Until now, we had assumed that diet, obesity and physical exercise were some of the factors explaining why urban Indians had higher prevalence of diabetes than rural Indians. This study is an eye-opener because now we have found a new cause for diabetes that is pollution,” said Dr V Mohan, chairman of the Madras Diabetes Research 

The presence of fine particles (PM 2.5) in the air that can potentially enter the lungs and the bloodstream has been identified as a potential reason for this correlation. “PM 2.5 contains sulphates, nitrates, heavy metals and black carbon that can damage the lining of blood vessels and increase blood pressure by stiffening the arteries. The particles can get deposited in the fat cells and cause inflammation and can also attack the heart muscle directly,” said Dr Dorairaj Prabhakaran, cardiologist and executive director of the Centre for Chronic Disease Control.