Image for representational purposes only. The report says diabetes rates spiked from 14% pre-menopause to 40% post-menopause.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
Apollo Hospital’s “Health of the Nation 2025” has indicated that Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) often began earlier in life, sometimes even in childhood or adolescence. The report’s findings also showed increased health risks for women post-menopause, with significant rises in diabetes, obesity, fatty liver and hypertension.
The fifth edition of “Health of the Nation 2025” report launched on World Health Day (April 7) provided insights into the rising burden of NCDs and deficiencies in the country.
To identify and recognise NCDs and their onset early on in life, Apollo SHINE Foundation, an initiative of Apollo Hospitals, screened 2.85 lakh students across primary, middle and high school aged between three and 17 years as well as students in college across six States and 10 cities.
The report’s results revealed a rise in obesity with age — 28% of college students were overweight, compared to 8% in primary school students. Nine per cent of students in high school and 19% of students in college are pre-hypertensive, and 2% of college students had high blood glucose levels. If not properly managed, the burden of NCDs continues to escalate throughout a person’s lifetime, leading to significant health challenges in adulthood, it said.
Highlighting trends in women’s health and impact of menopause, the report showed that diabetes rates spiked from 14% pre-menopause to 40% post-menopause. Obesity rose sharply from 76% to 86% and prevalence of fatty liver climbed from 54% to 70%. Hypertension rose from 15% to 40%. Concluding that clustering of metabolic and cardiovascular conditions increases post-menopause, the report emphasised the need for comprehensive health management strategies.
Another concern was the rising burden of fatty liver — 65% of 2.5 lakh individuals screened had fatty liver, 85% were non-alcoholic. Fatty liver is now classified as Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, mainly driven by obesity, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia — not alcohol alone. For instance, 76% of individuals with obesity had fatty liver, 82% of individuals with diabetes and 70% with pre-diabetes had fatty liver. It raised the need for early control of metabolic health conditions through imaging-based screening, lifestyle changes and targeted management to prevent complications.
A total of 3,106 persons without any history of cardiovascular disease were evaluated for their cardiac health. Of them, 58% were asymptomatic individuals. Among them, 46% had calcium deposits, indicating early atherosclerosis. The report also found 6% men and 8% women aged less than 40 showed signs of depression.
Published – April 07, 2025 08:07 pm IST
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