Glucose tolerance in a rural population of Bangladesh

CONTEXT: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing in the Bangladeshi population. However, there is little information available on the prevalence of glucose intolerance, ie, type 2 diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, and impaired fasting glucose. AIMS: The main aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of different categories of glucose intolerance and their relationship with different anthropometric and demographic characteristics. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was performed in a rural area of Bangladesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A random sample of 5000 persons aged ≥ 20 years was included in this study. Fasting blood glucose was measured in 3981 individuals and 2-h post-glucose blood glucose was measured in 3954 subjects after the known cases of diabetes (n = 27) were excluded. Height, weight, waist and hip circumference, and blood pressure were measured. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Pearson Chi-squared test and correlation test were used for analysis as appropriate. RESULTS: The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and diabetes (DM) were 1.3, 2.0, and 7.0%, respectively. IFG, IGT, and IFG + IGT were more prevalent in females. Age showed a significant positive relationship with increasing levels of glucose intolerance. Body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio were higher in the glucose-intolerant group than in the normal glucose tolerance (NGT) group. There was a positive correlation between FBG and 2-h BG in NGT and DM subjects. CONCLUSION: The FBG value identified more people with glucose intolerance than the 2-h BG. These findings will help developing diabetes preventive strategy in rural populations.