Diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance in urban adult population.

OBJECTIVE Estimating the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in the urban population aged between 30 and 69 years in the municipality of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. METHODS Population-based cross-sectional study conducted between October/2009 and February/2011. The investigation included the determination of fasting glucose and participants with blood glucose ≥ 200 mg/dL were considered diabetic. Nondiabetic patients, which showed blood glucose ≥ 100 mg/dL and < 200 mg/dL, underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to investigate whether they had DM or IGT. RESULTS 1.429 individuals participated in this investigation. The general prevalence, adjusted for sex and age, were: 12.3% for DM (95%CI: 10.5 to 13.9%) and 7.1% for IGT (95%CI: 5.7 to 8.4%). There was a higher prevalence of DM with increasing age in people with low educational level, family history of diabetes, overweight, obesity and central obesity. Among diabetic patients (n = 195), 25% were unaware they had the disease and were diagnosed through investigation. Among patients who already knew they had DM (n = 146), 37% were unaware of the potential chronic complications. CONCLUSION This study confirms the increased prevalence of DM in Brazil and emphasizes the need for early diagnosis, as well as the importance of strict adherence to medical treatment in order to prevent its much feared complications.