Assessment of Diabetes Mellitus in India and Nepal

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder and major health problem of all the countries. Low and middle income countries face the greatest burden of diabetes mellitus. The prevalence of diabetes for all age-groups worldwide was estimated to be 2.8% in 2000 and 4.4% in 2030. Objectives: The main objective of this was to find out the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in urban and rural area of India and Nepal. Methods: Published research articles, books, bulletins, and online materials regarding to diabetes mellitus were studied both in national and international scenarios. Results: Diabetes in urban Indians is reaching an epidemic and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian Indians ranges from 2.7% in rural India to 14% in urban India. The latest report the total percentage of new and old cases of diabetes mellitus was 19.78%, 16.06% in males and 22.04% in females of Karnataka, India. Diabetes prevalence was 25.9% and higher proportion of diabetes was demonstrated in male (27.1%) than the females (24.8%) in Kathmandu valley of Nepal. All studies were showed the higher prevalence of diabetes in India and Nepal. Conclusion: Nationwide prevalence surveys of diabetes have never been undertaken in India and Nepal. Thus, the true magnitude of diabetes has remained unknown in both the country.