DIABETES-MELLITUS AND HYPERTENSION IN RURAL-RURAL MIGRANTS IN SOUTH-INDIA

We conducted a survey to detect diabetes and hypertension in 4 village s and 5 adjacent camps in Raichur district, Karnataka state in South I ndia where two heterogenous populations co-exist; the indigenous popul ation and migrants who originally came from villages in Andhra Pradesh state. The staple diets of these populations differ: migrants consume rice while the indigenous populations consume millets. Diabetes was c onfirmed by blood glucose testing. Blood pressure was recorded using a mercury sphygmomanometer. In adults above the age of 30 years the pre valence of diabetes mellitus was significantly higher in the rural-rur al migrants (9.1%; n = 529) than the indigenous population (2.2%; n = 765), (x(2) = 30.8; P < 0.001). Hypertension was diagnosed in 29.1% of the migrants and 13.9% of the indigenous population (x(2) = 45.3, P < 0.001). Obesity was found more frequently in the migrants. It was con cluded that i) transrural migrant populations have a high prevalence o f diabetes and hypertension and ii) the significant inter-population d ifferences may be due to the higher frequency of risk factors in the m igrants whose dietary habits also differed from the indigenous populat ions.