Prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus and its risk factors in a population-based study of Qatar.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes, pre-diabetes and to identify the associated risk factors in the sample of adult Qatari population. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. SETTING: The survey was carried out in urban and semi-urban primary health care centers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The survey was conducted from January 2007 to July 2008 among Qatari nationals above 20 years of age. Of the 1434 subjects who were approached to participate in the study, 1117 (77.9%) gave their consent. Face to face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire followed by laboratory tests. DM was defined according to the WHO expert group. Pre diabetes status was based on the presence of impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of diabetes mellitus among adult Qatari population was high (16.7%) with diagnosed DM (10.7%) and newly diagnosed DM (5.9%). The impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) was diagnosed in 12.5%, while impaired fasting glucose was in 1.3% with a total of (13.8%). The proportion of DM was higher in Qatari women (53.2%) than in Qatari men (46.8%) and it peaked in the age group 40-49 years (31.2%). The age-specific prevalence of total DM and IGT increased with age. Risk factors were significantly higher in diabetic adult Qatari population: central obesity (p<0.001), hypertension (p<0.001), triglyceride (p<0.001), HDL (p=0.003), metabolic syndrome (p<0.001), heart diseases (p<0.001). Smoking habits and family history of DM were the major contributors for diabetes disease. The central obesity was associated with higher prevalence of DM and IFG among Qatari men and women. CONCLUSION: The present study has found a moderately high prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the adult Qatari population. High proportion of pre-diabetes in Qatari adults will increase the prevalence of DM in the next few years. Smoking habits and family history of DM were the major contributors for DM. Early diagnosis of DM is of major importance to reduce the risk of these diabetes-related conditions.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to Adult Treatment Panel III and International Diabetes Federation criteria: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among adult Qatari population according to the revised criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), assess which component contributed to the increased risk of the metabolic syndrome, and identify the characteristics of the subjects with metabolic syndrome. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. SETTING: The survey was carried out in urban and semiurban primary health-care centers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The survey was conducted from January, 2007, to July, 2008, among Qatari nationals above 20 years of age. Of the 1496 subjects who were approached to participate in the study, 1204 (80.5%) gave their consent. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire followed by laboratory tests. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the NCEP ATP III as well as IDF criteria. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome in studied subjects was 26.5% and 33.7% according to ATP III and IDF criteria (P < 0.001). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome by ATP III and IDF increased with age and body mass index (BMI), whereas it decreased with higher education and physical activity. Also, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was more common in women. Among the components of metabolic syndrome, central obesity was significantly higher in the studied subjects. The IDF definition of metabolic syndrome gave a higher prevalence in all age groups. The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components according to IDF criteria was higher in the studied subjects than the estimates given by the ATP III. Multivariate logistics regression analysis (ATP III and IDF) showed that age and BMI were significant contributors for metabolic syndrome. Both definitions strongly supported age and obesity as associated factors for metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: The current study found a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Qataris. There was a steady increase in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome through the decades, independent of the definition. Age and BMI were important significant predictors for metabolic syndrome.