In Malaysia, a quiet gap has opened among the country's youngest adults: most of those living with diabetes or high blood pressure have never been told. The figures, drawn from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 and raised by the Health Minister in Parliament, reveal how easily a warning sign can pass unnoticed when young people feel well and rarely enter a clinic. Experts are asking that the moment of measurement become the beginning of care rather than its end, a reminder that health is often lost not through neglect of a single test but through the silence that follows an unexpla
Over 80% of Young Malaysians With Diabetes or Hypertension Remain Undiagnosed, Health Experts Warn
People can fall through the cracks
Mark
Why do these two numbers matter so much?
Mimi
Because they're large and mostly hidden. About 192,000 young adults with diabetes and nearly 340,000 with hypertension, and over eight in ten of them don't know.
Mark
Why wouldn't they know?
Mimi
Prof Moy says many assume these are older people's diseases, and if they feel fine, they don't get checked. They also rarely visit clinics unless unwell.
Luke
Let me separate things. The 192,464 and 339,853 are estimates from the NHMS 2023, relayed by the minister. They aren't a head count.
Mimi
Fair. The source says estimated, and I'd keep that word.
Luke
Also, the over-80% figure is for ages 18 to 29. The 38% and 41% undiagnosed figures are for adults overall.
Mark
So young adults are much worse off than the general pattern?
Mimi
On these numbers, yes, the young group's undiagnosed share is far higher.
Luke
Though the article doesn't explain how the survey established that, so I wouldn't say more than the numbers show.
Mark
And the fix? More screening?
Mimi
Not simply. Moy says screening should fit age and risk, and that follow-up is the weak link. Abnormal results often aren't acted on.
Luke
Worth noting the diet advice from Prof Loh is general guidance. The article doesn't claim it explains these particular figures.
Der Puls
- Over eight in ten Malaysians aged 18 to 29 with diabetes or hypertension do not know they have either condition, a figure that alarms public health officials.
- Abnormal blood test and blood pressure readings are being overlooked or left unrepeated, leaving borderline results to slip out of view.
- Young adults who feel healthy rarely visit clinics and often assume these illnesses belong to older people, deepening the disruption to early detection.
- Experts are pushing for risk-based screening matched to age and personal history, along with clear follow-up pathways for anyone with an abnormal result.
- Dietary habits such as sugary drinks and oversized, salty meals are being targeted as early changes, with the outcome still hinging on whether younger-adult screening guidance shifts.
In Malaysia, a quiet gap has opened among the country's youngest adults: most of those living with diabetes or high blood pressure have never been told. The figures, drawn from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 and raised by the Health Minister in Parliament, reveal how easily a warning sign can pass unnoticed when young people feel well and rarely enter a clinic. Experts are asking that the moment of measurement become the beginning of care rather than its end, a reminder that health is often lost not through neglect of a single test but through the silence that follows an unexplained result.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told Parliament that, based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023, an estimated 192,464 Malaysians aged 18 to 29 have diabetes and 339,853 have hypertension. More than eight in ten in both groups do not know they have the condition.
Public health expert Prof Dr Moy Foong Ming worries that an abnormal reading is not the same as a diagnosis. A blood test or blood pressure check can raise a flag, but without repeat testing and further follow-up, people can fall through the cracks. She notes that young adults often do not see themselves at risk, associate these diseases with older age, and seldom visit healthcare facilities unless they are unwell. Awareness, she says, must be paired with knowing what to do next.
She argues for screening matched to age and individual risk rather than testing everyone for everything. Nutrition expert Prof Dr Loh Su Peng of Universiti Putra Malaysia adds that daily choices shape long-term risk, and suggests starting with water or unsweetened drinks and using a quarter-quarter-half plate of vegetables and fruit, carbohydrates and protein. The experts' message is that follow-up matters as much as testing, and the next thing to watch is whether guidance for younger adults changes.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad gave Parliament two numbers recently that describe a quiet problem among Malaysia's youngest adults. Based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023, an estimated 192,464 Malaysians aged 18 to 29 have diabetes, and 339,853 have hypertension. In both groups, more than eight in ten do not know they have the condition.
That gap worries public health expert Prof Dr Moy Foong Ming. A blood pressure reading or a blood test can flag a problem, she noted, but a flag does not always become a diagnosis. Someone may get an abnormal result and never go for further testing. Sometimes a borderline result needs to be repeated. Without follow-up, she said, people can fall through the cracks.
The survey's figures for adults of all ages show the same pattern. In the NHMS 2023, 5.9% of Malaysian adults had raised blood glucose but did not know they had diabetes, and 11.9% had raised blood pressure without knowing they had hypertension. Another 18.1% had raised blood cholesterol and were unaware of it. Measured against people who actually have each condition, roughly 38% of adults with diabetes and 41% of those with hypertension were undiagnosed. The proportion among 18-to-29-year-olds, above 80%, is far higher.
Dr Moy offered one explanation for why. Young adults often do not see themselves as being at risk. They tend to associate diabetes and hypertension with older people, and assume that if they feel well, there is no reason to get checked. Many also rarely visit healthcare facilities unless they are unwell. Awareness alone is not enough, she said; people need to know what to do when a result comes back abnormal.
She did not argue for testing everyone for everything. Screening, in her view, should be matched to age and individual risk, rather than assuming every healthy young adult needs every blood test each year. Malaysia's clinical guidance recommends diabetes testing for adults without symptoms from age 30, with earlier testing for those who have specified risk factors. Blood pressure checks should be part of routine healthcare, and cholesterol assessment should weigh age, family history and other cardiovascular risks.
Diet is the other thread. Prof Dr Loh Su Peng, a nutrition expert at Universiti Putra Malaysia, said daily food choices shape long-term risk, particularly when sugary drinks, large portions and salty or processed food become routine. For people who regularly drink sweetened beverages, she suggested a practical starting point: make water or unsweetened drinks the default.
She also recommended what she calls the quarter-quarter-half approach to the plate: half for vegetables and fruit, a quarter for carbohydrates and a quarter for protein. Healthy eating, she said, does not mean giving up food you enjoy; it means making more balanced choices and being consistent.
The experts' message points to follow-up rather than more testing alone: risk-based screening, and a clear path for anyone whose result is abnormal. What to watch is whether guidance for younger adults changes as these figures draw attention.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Without proper follow-up, people can fall through the cracks.— Prof Dr Moy Foong Ming, public health expert
Healthy eating does not mean giving up the food we enjoy; it is about making more balanced choices and being consistent.— Prof Dr Loh Su Peng, Universiti Putra Malaysia
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