Prevalence of diabetes mellitus among obese people in Faisalabad

ABSTRACT

Remarkable increases in obesity have occurred all over the world particularly in the last decade. This is true even for the developing countries. Excess weight is a high risk factor for diabetes in both men and women, especially those with excess abdominal fat. The reason has been attributed to the growing insulin resistance. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in obese general public is 30% in the international literature. It is less studied in Pakistani. population living in Pakistan. To study the prevalence of raised blood sugar among obese persons in a population attending Madina Teaching Hospital, Faisalabad. A questionnaire containing personal and socioeconomic information was completed for each participant. Height, weight, and waist circumference were recorded by trained professionals and BMI was calculated. BMI more than 30 was inclusion criteria. Blood sugar was performed from a venous blood sample analyzed by Merck, Microlab 300 semiautomatic chemistry analyzer with Biocon, Germany's, Fluitest GLU, GOD - PAP reagent. Data was analyzed by SPSS statistical tool. A total of 40 [M 17, F 23] subjects were included in the study, among whom 8 [20%] had raised random blood sugar in diabetic range. Two of the 8 raised blood sugar group knew they had diabetes mellitus on subsequent questioning and 6 were told first time they have diabetes mellitus. Obesity is a significant risk factor for the development of diabetes mellitus and we recommend every obese person in general public should have their blood sugar measured to make an earlier diagnosis to reduce the subsequent risk of complications. Furthermore health education may be imparted to general population. This is perhaps the only cost effective way to address the issue of diabetes and "double burden of diseases" which Pakistan is facing