Karachi: Economic pressure, rising living costs and long working hours are driving a silent diabetes crisis among Pakistanis in their twenties and early thirties, as an increasing number of young adults are being diagnosed only after arriving in hospitals with severe heart blockages and dangerously high blood pressure, experts warned at a press briefing on Friday.
Speaking during the annual conference of the Pakistan Endocrine Society, senior diabetologists said emergency rooms are now routinely receiving patients aged 28 to 35 with multiple blocked coronary arteries, and only after angiography and lab investigations are many informed that they have long-standing type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
In most cases, they noted, the disease remained undiagnosed for years and by the time it is detected, damage to blood vessels, kidneys and other organs has already begun.
During the briefing, the Discovering Diabetes team released its 2024-25 impact report, stating that the programme has reached over 8.5 million people, assessed nearly 9.66 lakh individuals for diabetes risk and connected 4.63 lakh suspected patients to medical advice.
Free screening and consultation were provided to over 3.48 lakh people through medical camps, doctor linkages and digital outreach across the country. Experts said the data reflects both the scale of awareness efforts and the alarming number of undetected diabetics in the population.
Former Pakistan Endocrine Society president Dr Abrar Ahmed said diabetes has quietly become one of Pakistan’s biggest health threats.
“Every fourth Pakistani is diabetic. It is a painful picture but gatherings like this give hope. Lifestyle change has to begin now. The moment lifestyle starts improving, diabetes begins to come under control,” he said, adding that growing interest in weight loss injections has shifted public focus away from regular glucose monitoring and basic diabetes care.
Discovering Diabetes Project Director Syed Jamshed Ahmed said more than 3.3 crore people in Pakistan are confirmed diabetics, while an almost equal number are believed to be living with the condition unknowingly.
“We screened hundreds of thousands of citizens, and many only discovered diabetes after being linked with a physician. People proudly say they can eat a kilo of gulab jamun without worry. That mindset is driving a generation towards disability,” he warned, urging authorities to relay short diabetes alerts through caller tunes and broadcast messaging.
Consultant physician and PSIM representative Dr Soumya Iqtidar said doctors across the country remain in a state of constant “firefighting.”
“Pakistan is now among the highest in adult diabetes and moving up global obesity charts. Diabetes brings hypertension, kidney strain, heart failure and mobility issues. PSIM has started A to Z diabetes training for general practitioners, and a course with IDF is being finalised to equip primary care doctors,” she said.
Former PES president Dr Khurshid A. Khan said type 2 diabetes is spreading at an unprecedented pace due to inactivity, stress and high-calorie diets. “Earlier patients walked into clinics. Now many arrive in wheelchairs. People are doing double shifts to survive, parks are disappearing, healthy food is expensive and junk food is cheap. Our economic collapse is directly linked to the rise in lifestyle diseases,” he said, adding that television stations give hours to politics but little attention to the country’s largest health emergency.
PharmEvo Managing Director Haroon Qasim said Pakistan is heading towards the world’s highest diabetes burden. He said an estimated 2.3 lakh deaths occur annually due to diabetes and related complications. “IDF has recognised Discovering Diabetes as a model of diabetes awareness and selected PharmEvo for this mission after reviewing our four-year performance,” he said, calling for heavy taxes on sugary drinks. “Diabetes and hypertension go hand in hand, so policy must target both through price controls on harmful products and incentives for healthy diets.”
Trifit CEO Ahmer Azam said Pakistan has become a “nation of exceptions rather than systems.” “We assume a few lucky people stay healthy without effort. That attitude makes us irresponsible. No country consumes more bakery items than Pakistan. Exercise is essential. WHO recommends 150 minutes a week. If someone cannot spare two and a half hours weekly for their own health, expecting to live healthy is unrealistic,” he said.
He announced that all Trifit digital screens nationwide will run diabetes awareness messages for a week.
Ends