KMCH studyfinds rising burden of Hypertension, Diabetes and obesity

A decade-long study by the Kovai Medical Center and Hospital (KMCH) Research Foundation has highlighted a rising burden of non-communicable diseases, including obesity, hypertension and diabetes, among communities across rural, semi-urban and urban India.
The KMCH NCD Study, conducted from 2015 to 2026, found that obesity increased from 43.1 per cent in 2015-16 to 57 per cent in 2025-26. The prevalence was higher among women at 63.3 per cent and among young adults aged 20 to 40 at 61.4 per cent.
The study also recorded an increasing trend in hypertension and diabetes during the same period. Researchers found metabolic risk factors such as abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose and abnormal lipid levels occurring together, with early vascular damage, including coronary atherosclerosis, detected in some adults without symptoms.
Tracking the same individuals over the decade showed that nearly one in three healthy adults developed hypertension, while more than one in two adults with normal blood sugar progressed to prediabetes or diabetes. One in three adults with prediabetes went on to develop diabetes.
The study further found that more than one in three healthy adults became overweight or obese, one in five developed early signs of arterial disease and more than one in four developed anaemia.
The findings were presented at the 3rd International Conference on Indian Rural Public Health and Non-Communicable Diseases, organised by KMCH on September 19 and 20 at Dr. NGP Arts and Science College, Kalapatti, Coimbatore.
The conference brought together clinicians, researchers, public health professionals, policymakers, faculty members and students. Experts from the UK, Switzerland, Canada and various parts of India presented their research through oral and poster presentations.
Dr. Nalla G. Palaniswami, Chairman and Managing Director of KMCH, inaugurated the conference. He said the study aimed to establish precise figures on non-communicable diseases in the study population and that the findings could support government policy and public health planning.
He also introduced the Dr. Thavamani Devi Palaniswami Young Investigator Award to encourage young researchers.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Arun Palaniswami, Joint Managing Director, KMCH, said identifying early biological markers and community-specific risk factors could help develop targeted and sustainable health interventions for rural, semi-urban and urban populations.
Dr. Arulraj Ramakrishnan, Consultant Hepatologist and Interventional Endoscopist and Director, KMCH Research Foundation, stressed the importance of early community-level screening, noting that significant disease-related damage can occur before diagnosis.