Let’s Understand The Impact Of Metabolic Disorders On Health

Apart from impacting daily life, the metabolic syndrome also levies a high cost on the individual, those with the condition spend at least 20 per cent more due to the higher amount of medication required and frequent hospitalisations.

The country’s proportion of infectious diseases – illnesses that spread through contact – is estimated to be lower than non-communicable diseases. About one-tenth of the country’s population is suffering from diabetes, 35 per cent suffer from hypertension, and about 28 per cent have high cholesterol levels.

The World Health Organization (WHO) posits that lifestyle diseases will cost India over USD 6 trillion by 2030, not to mention the deterioration in quality of life after having an NCD. What is even more concerning is the fact that while the onset of NCDs in developed countries is typically 55 years+, in India, the onset happens almost a decade earlier – at age 45 years+.

The Deadly Quartet Of Syndrome X

In such a scenario, where a considerable proportion of the population already has the propensity to develop a lifestyle-induced NCD, it is essential to discuss the new metabolic abnormality cluster on the block – metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome or Syndrome X refers to the co-occurrence of several metabolic abnormalities that are also known as cardiovascular risk factors and leading causes of Type 2 diabetes. Development of diabetes mellitus five-fold and that of cardiovascular disease two-fold over the next 5-10 years.