The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has just launched its South Asia regional office, at the SL Raheja Hospital, in Mahim, India. The choice of location was strategic, says the hospital's Chief Executive Officer, Ann Keeling; India is quickly become a global epicentre of diabetes.

Currently, one in eight Indians suffer from diabetes. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the disease costs the Indian economy around $23 billion per year. Ms. Keeling added that 3.8 million people die from diabetes every year in India. This staggering figure is considerably higher than HIV casualties.

"According to available data with IDF and WHO, India has 50.8 million Indians diagnosed with diabetes, and 40 million with impaired glucose tolerance, which means they are at high risk", said Ms. Keeling. The country has the second highest number of diabetics in the world.

Interestingly, the disease's trend in the Indian population runs contrary to those in Western countries, with the former being at risk in its most productive years. While Caucasians tend to develop the disease after the age of 60, South Asians seem to be developing diabetes at a significantly earlier time, between the ages of 30 and d50.

The disease is a "silent killer", stressed Ms. Keeling. She emphasised the need for policy makers to acknowledge the growing problem, especially in booming economies such as those of China and India, where economic growth "can come with a deadly price tag: lifestyle-related risk factors" such as mass urbanization, changing diets and sedentary lifestyles.