CHENNAI: At least nine out of 10 people suffering from diabetes in the city believe that their sugar levels are under control, despite facts suggesting otherwise, a survey to assess patient perception of diabetes control and complications has found.

In the Abbott Sugar Survey conducted with the Association of Physicians of India (API), of the 156 people from Chennai who participated in the survey, almost 94% — more than any other city in the country — wrongly believed that their diabetes was under control and that there was no need to monitor it on a regular basis.

The survey was conducted among 1,500 adults in eight cities with uncontrolled diabetes, 302 caregivers and 60 doctors.

“Many patients assume that their sugar levels are under control simply because they feel well,” endocrinologist Dr Usha Sriram said. “Symptoms like not losing weight and wounds healing faster are wrongly associated with normal blood sugar level.”

The survey found nearly 64% of diabetes patients in the city admitted that they had at least one complication because of poor sugar control.

Endocrinologist and API president Dr Shashank R Joshi points out that the biggest challenge is that people with diabetes do not have the tools they need to connect the consequences of uncontrolled diabetes with the impact on their bodies. “While people with diabetes may feel all is well, uncontrolled diabetes leads to heart disease, eye, kidney and nerve problems,” he said.

Dr Sriram said more than one-third of diabetics in Chennai had some kind of end-organ damage to the eyes, kidney or nerves. “The only way to ensure early detection of these problems is to subject these patients to appropriate tests at the time of diagnosis,” she said.

The study showed that 50% of respondents monitored their sugar levels only once in three months and most of them did not adhere to diet and physical exercise as prescribed by their doctors.

“Diabetes is a chronic and progressive problem. People with mild symptoms should check their sugar levels twice a week and those with a more intense condition should check at least four times a day,” Dr Sriram said, emphasising the importance of monitoring blood glucose at regular intervals for better control over the disease.

