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Multicenter Study
. 2016 Aug:118:1-11.
doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2016.05.001. Epub 2016 May 7.

Diabetes mellitus in Zambia and the Western Cape province of South Africa: Prevalence, risk factors, diagnosis and management

Sarah Lou Bailey  1 , Helen Ayles  2 , Nulda Beyers  3 , Peter Godfrey-Faussett  4 , Monde Muyoyeta  5 , Elizabeth du Toit  3 , John S Yudkin  6 , Sian Floyd  7
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Diabetes mellitus in Zambia and the Western Cape province of South Africa: Prevalence, risk factors, diagnosis and management

Sarah Lou Bailey et al. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2016 Aug.

Abstract

Aims: To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for diabetes mellitus and examine its diagnosis and management in the study communities.

Methods: This is a population-based cross-sectional study among adults in 24 communities from Zambia and the Western Cape (WC) province of South Africa. Diabetes is defined as a random blood glucose concentration (RBG)⩾11.1mmol/L, or RBG<11.1mmol/L but with a self-reported prior diabetes diagnosis. For individuals with a prior diagnosis of diabetes, RBG<7.8mmol/L was considered to be an acceptable level of glycaemia.

Results: Among 45,767 Zambian and 12,496 WC participants the age-standardised prevalence of diabetes was 3.5% and 7.2% respectively. The highest risk groups identified were those of older age and those with obesity. Of those identified to have diabetes, 34.5% in Zambia and 12.7% in WC were previously unaware of their diagnosis. Among Zambian participants with diabetes, this proportion was lower among individuals with better education or with higher household socio-economic position. Of all those with previously diagnosed diabetes, 66.0% in Zambia and 59.4% in WC were not on any diabetes treatment, and 34.4% in Zambia and 32.7% in WC had a RBG concentration beyond the recommended level, ⩾7.8mmol/L.

Conclusions: The diabetes risk factor profile for our study communities is similar to that seen in high-income populations. A high proportion of individuals with diabetes are not on diabetes treatment and of those on treatment a high proportion have high glycaemic concentrations. Such data may assist in healthcare planning to ensure timely diagnosis and management of diabetes.

Keywords: Cross-sectional study; Epidemiology; Southern Africa.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number and flow of study participants and cases in Zambia and the Western Cape of South Africa.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Numbers of (a) Zambian and (b) Western Cape participants with diabetes by self-report and RBG diagnosis, and numbers who report they are currently on treatment for diabetes. Legend: treatment = dietary, oral hypoglycaemic agents or insulin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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