Adults above 40 should be routinely screened for hypertension and diabetes: Study

Max Healthcarey analysed electronic health records of more than 56,000 adults who underwent preventive health check-ups between January 2021 and December 2024

Adults aged over 40 should be routinely screened for both hypertension and diabetes, according to a new study by the Department of Clinical Research and Preventive Health Programme at Max Healthcare. The study found that the two conditions frequently coexist, with their combined prevalence rising sharply from around the age of 40.

Published in Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, the hospital-based study analysed electronic health records of more than 56,000 adults who underwent preventive health check-ups between January 2021 and December 2024. 

The data was collected from select Max Healthcare Network hospitals across Delhi-NCR, including Max Hospital, Saket; BLK-Max Hospital; Max Hospital, Vaishali; Max Multi Speciality Center, Panchsheel Park; Max Hospital, Noida; and Max Hospital, Dwarka.

The study is among the first large hospital-based analyses in India to quantify the relationship between hypertension and diabetes by examining how frequently the two conditions occur together compared with what would be expected if they were independent.

The researchers found that nearly 5% of adults had both hypertension and diabetes, almost twice the prevalence expected if the two conditions occurred independently. The coexistence of the diseases increased rapidly from around the age of 40, continued to rise until approximately 58 years and gradually plateaued at nearly 17% by around 70 years of age.

The analysis also found that individuals with diabetes were nearly four times more likely to have hypertension than those without diabetes. Similarly, people with hypertension were approximately 2.5 times more likely to have diabetes compared with those without hypertension.

Dr. Abhaya Indrayan, Biostatistics Consultant, Max Healthcare, said that hypertension and diabetes share several common risk factors, but the analysis demonstrates the extent to which the two conditions occur together in a large Indian hospital-based population. 

He noted that the sharp increase in coexistence from around the age of 40 provides quantitative evidence supporting integrated screening strategies to identify both conditions early and manage them before serious complications develop.