Prevalence and determinants of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose among urban community-dwelling adults in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in the adult population aged >or= 20 years in Guangzhou and to evaluate the associated risk factors.

Method: A total of 6197 randomly selected adults, aged >or= 20 years and living for at least 5 years in Guangzhou, participated in questionnaire-based interviews between 2006 and 2007, and had their clinical characteristics and standard blood chemistries measured. A 75 g OGTT was conducted for those subjects with fasting glucose levels >or= 5.6 mmol/L. Diabetes and IFG were defined according to WHO 1999 criteria.

Results: Based on Chinese census data, the age- and gender-standardized prevalences of diabetes and IFG were 5.5% and 3.3%, respectively. Among the identified diabetic individuals in the present investigation, 42.3% were newly diagnosed. The prevalence of diabetes and IFG increased with age. The results of multivariate logistic-regression analyses showed that diabetes and IFG were significantly associated with age, a family history of diabetes, obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia.

Conclusion: The prevalences of diabetes and IFG have increased dramatically over the past decade. Yet, a large proportion of cases go undiagnosed. These results suggest an urgent need to establish regular population-based diabetes screening in Guangzhou.