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Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Jan 27;17(1):e0263139.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263139. eCollection 2022.

Prevalence of type-2 diabetes and prediabetes in Malaysia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Sohail Akhtar  1 , Jamal Abdul Nasir  2 , Aqsa Ali  2 , Mubeen Asghar  2 , Rizwana Majeed  2 , Aqsa Sarwar  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Prevalence of type-2 diabetes and prediabetes in Malaysia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Sohail Akhtar et al. PLoS One. .

Expression of concern in

Abstract

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the pooled prevalence of prediabetes and type-2 diabetes in the general population of Malaysia.

Method: We systematically searched Medline (PubMed), Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Malaysian Journals Online to identify relevant studies published between January 1, 1995, and November 30, 2021, on the prevalence of type-2 diabetes in Malaysia. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to obtain the pooled prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes. Subgroup analyses also used to analyze to the potential sources of heterogeneity. Meta- regression was carried to assess associations between study characteristics and diabetes prevalence. Three independent authors selected studies and conducted the quality assessment. The quality of the final evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Results: Of 2689 potentially relevant studies, 786 titles and abstract were screened. Fifteen studies with 103063 individuals were eligible to be included in the meta-analyses. The pooled prevalence of diabetes was 14.39% (95% CI, 12.51%-16.38%; I2 = 98.4%, 103063 participants from 15 studies). The pooled prevalence of prediabetes was 11.62% (95% CI, 7.17%-16.97%; I2 = 99.8, 88702 participants from 9 studies). The subgroup analysis showed statistically significant differences in diabetes prevalence by the ethical sub-populations with highest in Indians (25.10%; 95% CI, 20.19%-30.35%), followed by Malays (15.25%; 95% CI, 11.59%-19.29%), Chinese (12.87%; 95% CI, 9.73%-16.37%), Bumiputeras (8.62%; 95% CI, 5.41%-12.47%) and others (6.91%; 95% CI, 5.71%-8.19%). There was no evidence of publication bias, although heterogeneity was high (I2 ranged from 0.00% to 99·8%). The quality of evidence based on GRADE was low.

Conclusions: Results of this study suggest that a high prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes in Malaysia. The diabetes prevalence is associated with time period and increasing age. The Malaysian government should develop a comprehensive approach and strategy to enhance diabetes awareness, control, prevention, and treatment.

Trial registration: Trial registration no. PROSPERO CRD42021255894; https://clinicaltrials.gov/.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Study and data inclusion, using PRISMA 2009 guideline [17].
Fig 2
Fig 2. Pooled prevalence of type-2 diabetes in Malaysia.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Funnel plot of the prevalence of type-2 diabetes in Malaysia.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Pooled prevalence of prediabetes in Malaysia.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Funnel plot of the prevalence of prediabetes in Malaysia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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