Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hyperlipemias in Otomi indians

Objective. To determine prevalence and risk factors for diabetes mellitus ( DM) and hyperlipidemias in a population of Otomi Indians. Material and meth ods. A cross-sectional study was conducted between 1996 and 1997, in a conv enience sample of 91 Otomi Indians, aged 15 to 77 years, in the comunities of Yosphi and El Rincon, Queretaro, Mexico. Fasting blood samples were obta ined to measure glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Results. DM w as found in 4.4% of subjects; hypercholesterolemia in 7.6%; and hypertrigly ceridemia (HTG) in 26%. Mean concentrations of glucose -(81.0 +/- 24.4 mg/d l) and triglycerides (157.4 +/- 88.9 mg/dl) increased significantly with ag e, p=0.0279 and p <0.0001, respectively; as well as the prevalence of HTG ( p <0.0001). Conclusions. Results suggest that drastic changes in the diet o f Otomi Indians may cause severe problems related to high concentration of lipids in blood. The English version of this paper is available at: http:// www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.