Non-communicable disease is silent tsunami, which is silently living among us: Sangita Reddy, Joint MD, Apollo

India is facing a hidden health crisis that most citizens are unaware of, according to Apollo Hospitals' latest report. Millions are living with undiagnosed chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes without showing symptoms. The alarming data reveals a significant shift in healthcare awareness, with preventive health checks increasing dramatically in recent years. Experts like Sangita Reddy are calling for a proactive approach to detect and manage these silent health threats before they become critical.

"Non-communicable disease is a silent tsunami, almost like a COVID-type situation" - Sangita Reddy, Apollo Hospitals

By Shalini Bhardwaj, New Delhi, April 8: Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals, said that non-communicable disease is a silent tsunami and stressed that it should, therefore, be treated almost like a war situation.

Key Points

1 Preventive health checks surge 150% in five years

2 26% asymptomatic Indians have hypertension

3 Diabetes in women rises from 14% to 40%

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Sangita Reddy said, "We believe that the non-communicable disease is a silent tsunami, almost like a COVID-type situation, which is silently living among us."

She further explained the key findings of the Apollo Hospitals Health of the Nation 2025 report: "70 per cent of deaths are due to non-communicable disease, and therefore it should be treated almost like on a war footing. One of the important statistics which came out is that an asymptomatic that means with no symptoms, nothing they had yet when we did a routines screening for blood pressure of 4.5 lakh people where we thought were in the risk category, that means that over the age of 40, they are, you know, none of them were morbidly obese, but just routine Indians, 26 per cent of them had hypertension. So this is a very, very significant number."

"Long-term hypertension can lead to strokes and various other disorders, including kidney disorders. So it's very important for people to become aware, to do their screenings. This type of data went on, and that's the reason we do the health of the nation report on Women's Health. There's a rise in diabetes. Over the last four years, we've seen a rise in diabetes in women from 14% to 40% in women who become, you know, post-menopausal, after menopause, fatty liver, which you never thought 54% women, you know, would get fatty liver earlier. Now it's become 70%, but going deeper into fatty liver for both men and women, here we screened also over 2.5 lakh people who were in the vulnerable category, and we found that 65% had fatty liver. But the other important aspect is that 85% of these were non-alcoholic fatty liver," She explained about the rise of diabetes in women and fatty liver cases even in non-alcoholic

Today, Apollo Hospitals launched the fifth edition of the Health of the Nation 2025 (HoN-2025) report with a clear message: "Don't wait for symptoms--make preventive health your priority."

Based on health screenings from over 2.5 million individuals across the Apollo ecosystem in India, the report reveals a silent epidemic--millions are living with undiagnosed chronic conditions despite showing no visible symptoms. Notably, 26% were found to be hypertensive and 23% diabetic despite being asymptomatic, underlining that a symptom-led healthcare model is no longer viable.

Preventive health checks have grown exponentially, as recorded by Apollo Hospitals, rising from 1 million in 2019 to over 2.5 million in 2024 -- a 150% increase in just five years. This reflects a growing shift in public awareness and proactive engagement with preventive healthcare.

"The insights in HoN 2025 are drawn from de-identified electronic medical records (EMRs of preventive health checks), structured clinical evaluations, and AI-driven risk stratification across Apollo's hospitals, clinics, diagnostics labs, and wellness centers," States Hospital.

"The report zeroes in on three urgent health challenges: fatty liver disease, post-menopausal health decline, and childhood obesity, emphasizing the need for early personalized interventions and lifestyle-based care models." It said.

https://www.newkerala.com/news/o/non-communicable-disease-silent-tsunami-silently-living-among-us-sangita-647