Prevalence of heart ailments has been found to be the highest among all chronic diseases, followed by asthma, in Telangana State.

According to data collated as part of the integrated household survey across the State during last August, the burden of chronic diseases was highest for heart diseases (16 per cent), asthma (10 per cent), paralysis and fluorosis (9 per cent each). While five per cent each of the population with chronic diseases reported epilepsy and filaria, cancer and tuberculosis were recorded at four per cent each. The comprehensive household (Samagra Kutumba) survey which surveyed a population of 10,193,027 puts the total population having chronic diseases at 7,58,985 of which, 1,17,888 were found to suffer from heart ailments.

Break-up

The district wise break-up shows Karimnagar recording highest number of chronic diseases at 1,29,847 with Nalgonda (1,19,999) and Warangal (1,13,471) following closely. Hyderabad district figures at the last for almost all the diseases with the survey data reporting an incidence of 1,049 for cancer, 5,877 for heart ailments, 538 for tuberculosis, 1,572 for paralysis apart from 163 AIDS cases.

Ranga Reddy district, neighbouring the capital city was found by the survey to be having almost three times the chronic disease burden when compared to Hyderabad and same was the case with another neighbouring district of Medak.

The survey carried out on a single day but could not cover the entire State population as was originally planned, showed districts of Karimnagar, Warangal and Nalgonda as having highest prevalence of heart diseases and cancer. The population with fluorosis was found to be highest in Nalgonda with the incidence found to be nearly double than the second highest on the list, Warangal.

See graphic, High on Heart Ailments