A POPULATION-BASED STUDY OF THE PREVALENCE OF DIABETES AND IMPAIRED GLUCOSE-TOLERANCE IN ADULTS IN NORTHERN SUDAN

OBJECTIVE - To study the prevalence of glucose intolerance in adult ur ban and rural populations in the northern parts of Sudan. RESEARCH DES IGN AND METHODS - A sample of 1,284 subjects aged greater than or equa l to 25 years was selected using a multistage cluster method and under went a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. RESULTS - The crude prevalenc e was 3.4% (men, 3.5%; women, 3.4%) for diabetes and 2.9% (men, 2.2%; women, 3.3%) for impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). The highest crude p revalence was in the northern parts of Sudan (5.5%) and the lowest in the western desertlike parts (0.9%). Diabetes and IGT rates were nor d ifferent between the urban and rural populations. New cases (2.2%) wer e almost twice as prevalent as previously known cases (1.3%). Family h istory of diabetes, obesity, and advanced age were associated with hig her rates of diabetes. CONCLUSION - The results showed a high prevalen ce of diabetes in the adult population of Sudan, with a wide differenc e among the different areas. The high ratio of newly discovered to pre viously known diabetic cases may reflect poor public awareness and med ical services. These findings will certainly have far-reaching implica tions for diabetes care delivery in this country.