The ultimate aim of any health care giver is to relieve suffering and improve the
quality of life (QOL) of the patients. Diabetes, both due to its chronic nature and multisystemic involvement seriously affect the QOL of
the patient and to an extent that of the bystanders too.
Developing countries like India are witnessing a rapid surge in the prevalence of lifestyle diseases including diabetes. Given
the ethnic predisposition of Indians to develop diabetes and to have poor Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), as evidenced
by various studies, more efforts must be taken to tackle this problem of diabetes and the burden it places. The development
of complications worsens the suffering and the burgeoning cost on disease management further worsens the QOL.
Measures to improve QOL in Indian diabetic subjects deserves special mention in the light of the fact that India could well
be the diabetes capital of the world unless serious measures are taken to stop the diabetic epidemic.
This chapter deals with the quality of life among diabetic subjects in the Indian perspective. We have also dealt with the
factors affecting QOL in these subjects. The role of demographic and socioeconomic factors, patient education, behavioral
factors, psychological factors, co morbidities, complications and treatment regime on QOL have been dealt in detail. An effort
is also made to evaluate QOL in type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes.