Mumbai: People with high diabetes are paying visits to the out-patient department post-Diwali, as the doctors have pointed to a high-calorie diet during the festive season as a reason. Many patients have reported blood sugar levels of 400-500 mg/dL. Doctors said 15-20 diabetic patients come to OPD or clinics and many of these patients have also reported fever, dizziness, urinary and skin infections.
Dr Gokul Bhole, a diabetes specialist at St. George's Hospital, said that the OPD of diabetes has increased after Diwali. He attributed this to more consumption of sweets, snacks etc. during the festive season. During the festival, the sugar level rises due to excessive intake of calories.
“After Diwali, I have found sugar level 300 plus in about 50 patients in a day. Some of them are also getting infections which are due to diabetes but it can also be due to infection which can lead to increase in blood sugar level as the covid pandemic is not over yet,” he said.
Dr Aniket Mule, consultant internal medicine, Wockhardt Hospitals Mira Road, said that since a majority of people have ended up gorging on sweets and desserts during Diwali, there are many new cases of diabetes. Thus, a high-calorie diet can be the culprit for rising diabetes cases. Unmanaged blood sugar can invite cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and kidney and liver problems.
“It is the need of the hour to avoid eating a lot of sweets, eat a well-balanced diet, and exercise daily. Those with diabetes should eat in limited quantities. A disciplined lifestyle will help you to bring your sugar levels under control. Do not neglect diabetes during Diwali and avoid binge eating during the festive season. Try to use healthy alternatives for sweets such as jaggery, and dry fruits instead of sugar,” he said.
A senior doctor from the civic-run hospital said that during festive seasons, many tend to distribute sweets, due to which people do not avoid eating them, which leads to high sugar levels due to excessive intake of calories.
“I have been seeing more than 50 patients daily, of which around 30-35 come with very high sugar levels, above 300 mg/dl. Some of them also reported infections due to diabetes, while in some cases the infection led to a rise in sugar level. It generally takes three to four weeks to bring the blood sugar level under control if the patient is disciplined," he said.
“I have seen three types of patients after Diwali. First are those who consumed a high-calorie diet and landed in the hospital with urinary or kidney infection. Second are those whose blood sugar levels shot up higher than before the festival. And third are those who were not aware of their diabetes and are now coming to us about frequent urination and weakness,” he added.
Dr Pradeep Gadge, diabetologist and chairman of Gadge Diabetes Care, said, “After Diwali, I found that many patients who had controlled their blood sugar level are reporting high numbers in the range of 400-500 mg/dL. Some of them also complained of fever, urinary infections, boils on skin, etc. People tend to forget health issues during festivals, and then suffer once it ends. So, now we have changed some of their medicine dosage and asked them to follow a proper diet.”
