Routine tests undertaken by women dropped by 35 per cent in 2020: SRL Diagnostics

The report covers five major metro cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Chennai

SRL Diagnostics has published a data analytics report on results of samples received for various tests from January 2015 to December 2021 at SRL Laboratories across the country. This report has been prepared basis retrospective data mining done on the results of top 7 tests undertaken by women. The report covers five major metro cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Chennai.

The top 7 tests undertaken by women in terms of volume are Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, creatinine, hemoglobin, random blood glucose, cholesterol, vitamin D and calcium.

Speaking about the report, Anand. K, Chief Executive Officer, SRL Diagnostics said “Women are the primary care takers of families across the world. It is observed that women suffer from poor health outcomes and this has consequences not just for women but also for their families. Our study on 1.3 crore samples tested over 5 years across 5 metro cities show that women suffer from most common ailments including high blood sugar and cholesterol levels, poor kidney function, anemia, vitamin D deficiency and calcium deficiency. We have published this report to showcase data evidence that points to these conditions and deficiencies.”

Key highlights:

• Hemoglobin test: In an analysis of hemoglobin results in five cities, it was found that over 55 per cent of women who underwent the hemoglobin test reported abnormal levels. In 2020, the first year of pandemic, hemoglobin tests dropped by over 29 per cent as access to testing was restricted due to lockdown and fear of visiting a health care centre for health needs. In 2021, despite an increase in tests, the volumes did not reach pre-pandemic levels.
• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH): Over 25 per cent of women who underwent the TSH test reported abnormal levels. In 2020, the first year of pandemic, TSH tests dropped by over 35 per cent as access to testing was restricted due to lockdown and fear of visiting a health care center for health needs. In 2021, despite an increase in tests, the volumes did not reach pre-pandemic levels.
• Total calcium test: Over 21 per cent of women who underwent the calcium test reported abnormal levels. In 2020, the first year of pandemic, total calcium tests dropped by over 32 per cent as access to testing was restricted due to lockdown and fear of visiting a health care centre for health needs. In 2021, despite an increase in tests, the volumes did not reach pre-pandemic levels.
• Vitamin D test: Over 72 per cent of women who underwent the Vitamin D test reported abnormal levels. In 2020, the first year of pandemic, Total Vitamin D tests dropped by over 41 per cent as access to testing was restricted due to lockdown and fear of visiting a health care centre for health needs. In 2021, despite an increase in tests, the volumes did not reach pre-pandemic levels.
• Fasting blood sugar test: Over 48 per cent of women who underwent the fasting blood sugar test reported abnormal levels. In 2020, the first year of pandemic, fasting blood sugar tests dropped by over 33 per cent as access to testing was restricted due to lockdown and fear of visiting a health care centre for health needs. In 2021, despite an increase in tests, the volumes did not reach pre-pandemic levels.
• Total cholesterol test: Over 27 per cent of women who underwent the total cholesterol test reported abnormal levels. In 2020, the first year of pandemic, total cholesterol tests dropped by over 40 per cent as access to testing was restricted due to lockdown and fear of visiting a health care centre for health needs. In 2021, despite an increase in tests, the volumes did not reach pre-pandemic levels.
• Creatinine test: In 2020, the first year of pandemic, creatinine tests dropped by over 31 per cent as access to testing was restricted due to lockdown and fear of visiting a health care centre for health needs. In 2021, despite an increase in tests, the volumes did not reach pre-pandemic levels. Creatinine tests dropped by over 31 per cent in 2020, the first year of the pandemic. Despite an increase in volumes in 2021, testing volumes did not reach pre pandemic levels.