Temporal Change in Profile of Association between Diabetes, Obesity, and Age of Onset in Urban India: A Brief Report and Review of Literature

CONTEXT: Indian population is known to develop diabetes at lower body mass index (BMI) and younger age than their western counterparts. However, data on the prevalence of overweight/obesity in people with diabetes have not been well documented in the Indian literature. The current study also establishes time trends for the age of onset of diabetes mellitus type 2 in Urban India. AIMS: The aim of this study was to analyze the current trend in the presentation of people with diabetes in a metropolitan city (Urban residents) in context to age, sex, and BMI. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data captured in clinic electronic medical records from May 2015 to March 2017 are analyzed. The profile of newly diagnosed diabetes is also presented. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were analyzed descriptively and for statistical analysis, SPSS software was used. RESULTS: A total of 1473 patients with age 52.6 ± 12.7 (mean ± standard deviation) and BMI of 27.86 ± 4.83 kg/m(2) were analyzed. About 17.6% were overweight; 71.5% were obese. The significant higher proportion of females was overweight/obese (91.2% vs. 82% of males; P < 0.0001). Females had significantly higher mean BMI than males (29.19 ± 4.99 vs. 26.93 ± 4.83; P ≤ 0.001). Overall, mean HbA1c of patients was 7.84% ±1.61% with no significant difference between genders. However, there was no difference in mean HbA1c based on either gender or BMI category. Among people with new-onset diabetes, there was even higher proportion of people with BMI ≥23 kg/m(2) (overall 89.1%, males 87.6%, and females 91.6%). About 43.8% of people presented at <40 years age. Totally, 49.5% of males presented at age <40 years as compared to 33.9% of females. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of obesity among people with diabetes in Indian setting is now as high as in western studies. Indians are now presenting with diabetes at even earlier age with higher BMI.