The Capital's upscale Vasant Kunj has been diagnosed with multiple ailments. A study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has revealed that a large number of residents in the 50-plus age group are alcoholic, hence suffering from risky lifestyle diseases.

The initial findings show about 70 per cent of male and 14 per cent of female consume alcohol in excess and indulge in heavy smoking. The cohort study, conducted by AIIMS and Erasmus University of Netherlands, found that nearly 63 per cent of the participants have complained of hypertension (high blood pressure), 26 per cent are obese, about 18 per cent are diabetic and 32 per cent have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis of the nearly 3,000 participants, 1,465 are male and 1,526 are female.

The study has been funded by the department of biotechnology, ministry of science and technology. According to AIIMS doctors, the study is still on and the target is to cover 7,500 people.

"The primary results have shown 70 per cent of male and 14 per cent of female above 50 years of age are consuming alcohol. So far, we have included 3,000 participants. These people are also suffering from diabetes, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, obesity and rheumatoid arthritis," Dr Kameshwar Prasad, professor and the head of department of neurology, told Mail Today. "It is a unique study which started in October 2015. We are doing door-to-door survey of the urban population of Vasant Kunj who are above 50 years of age. The idea of the study is to develop a prediction model, followed by timely treatment," said Prasad. "We are also going to start precision medicine. It is an emerging medical approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle of a person," he said.

WHAT DO THE NUMBERS SAY?

The study found that in male population, about 70 per cent are alcoholic, 43 per cent have smoking habits, 63 per cent are suffering from hypertension, 22 per cent have rheumatoid arthritis, 19 per cent are diagnosed with cholesterol problem and 15 per cent are obese. While in female population, about 14 per cent are alcoholic, 62 per cent have high blood pressure, 37 per cent are obese, 41 percent have rheumatoid arthritis, 15 per cent are diabetic and 26 per cent are suffering from high blood cholesterol. Prasad informed that multiple diagnostic tests were conducted on the participants.

Questions related to their lifestyle habits were asked and in every six months, residents were called again for their health updates. Experts have directed the residents to quit smoking and control drinking habits.

They have also emphasised on regular walking, physical activities and exercise, more intake of green vegetables and fresh fruits. "Diabetes, heart attack, kidney failure and strokes are lifestyle disorders and if not diagnosed and treated on time, it can turn into silent killer. There are no such major symptoms of these diseases, but timely medical intervention can be helpful," Ambuj Roy, professor of cardiology at AIIMS, said. Last year, AIIMS had conducted a similar study targeting younger population across Delhi in the age group of 25-40 years. Hypertension, diabetes and obesity were found to be the major ailments.