Type 2 diabetes in rural and urban population: diverse prevalence and associated risk factors in Bangladesh

Diabet Med. 2005 Jul;22(7):931-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2005.01558.x.

Abstract

Aims: To describe differences in prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus with its associated risk factors between rural and urban populations in Bangladesh. Diagnostic criteria [fasting blood glucose (FBG) and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT)] were compared and reviewed for both populations.

Methods: A total of 1555 subjects from urban and 4757 from rural communities (age > or = 20 years) with similar cultural and ethnic backgrounds were randomly selected in a cross-sectional survey. FBG values were determined from all and 2-h post-glucose capillary blood samples were determined after a 75-g oral glucose load for a selected number (urban 476, rural 1046).

Results: A higher prevalence of diabetes was found in urban (8.1%) compared with rural populations (2.3%). Age, sex and waist-to-hip ratio for men were significant risk factors for both urban and rural subjects following fasting and 2-h post-glucose values adjusted for a number of confounding variables. Poor agreement was observed between FBG and OGTT for both urban (kappa 0.41) and rural (kappa 0.40) areas.

Conclusions: A higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the urban population was observed compared with rural subjects despite similar body mass indexes (BMI). Differences in obesity, waist/hip ratio or hypertension failed to explain the increasing occurrence of T2DM in the urban population.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Distribution
  • Bangladesh / epidemiology
  • Blood Glucose / analysis
  • Blood Pressure / physiology
  • Body Mass Index
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / epidemiology*
  • Female
  • Glucose Tolerance Test / methods
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Rural Health
  • Sex Distribution
  • Urban Health
  • Waist-Hip Ratio

Substances

  • Blood Glucose