‘High prevalence of diabetes, hypertension in Telangana’s rural and urban areas’

A door-to-door survey conducted between January and August has revealed alarming levels of diabetes and hypertension cases across rural and urban regions of Ranga Reddy district in Telangana. The survey, which screened 10,400 people in over 10 villages in the Kandukur and Maheshwaram mandals, found more than 25% of the population suffering from these non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The study, conducted by Hyderabad-based NGO Helping Hands Foundation (HHF), was part of its Rural NCD Outreach Programme.

Trained counsellors used a specialised app to gather health data on conditions like diabetes and hypertension from villages such as Maheshwaram, Nagaram, Kandukur, Mucherla, Mirkhantpet, and nearby hamlets. However, due to logistical challenges, HHF could not carry out door-to-door screenings in urban and peri-urban slum areas within a 50-km radius of Hyderabad. Instead, data from approximately 5,000 people screened at various HHF clinics in areas like Hakeempet, Wadi e Mahmood, Kishanbagh, Kalapather, and others showed 2,570 cases of diabetes and hypertension, said Mujtaba Hasan Askari of HHF.

Age-based findings The survey highlighted differences in disease prevalence across age groups and regions. Among those aged 31 to 50 in urban and peri-urban areas, 32% had hypertension, compared to 22.9% in rural areas.

Diabetes in this age group was almost twice as prevalent in urban areas (49%) compared to rural areas (26%). Furthermore, co-morbidities were 50% higher among urban resi.