Elsevier

The Lancet

Volume 291, Issue 7535, 27 January 1968, Pages 155-160
The Lancet

ORIGINAL ARTICLES
PREVALENCE AND NATURAL HISTORY OF DIABETES IN TRINIDAD

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(68)92559-2Get rights and content

Abstract

A stratified random sample of the entire population of Trinidad was screened for diabetes between July, 1961, and July, 1962, and the diabetics have now been followed up for 5 years. The population sample consisted of 24,069 persons of all races and age-groups, and 23,900 (98.5%) took part in the survey. 521 (2.20%) had postprandial glycosuria, and 448 (1.89%) satisfied the criteria for diabetes. 267 (1.13%) were known diabetics, and 181 (0.76%) were unknown. Diabetes is extremely rare under 20 years of age (0.02%) but the prevalence-rate is 3.45% over the age of 20. Females show a higher prevalence (2.10%) than males (1.53%). Diabetes is more common among East Indians (2.37%) than Negroes (1.44%), and it is common in all socioeconomic groups. The urban areas show the highest prevalence of diabetes (2.67%), and the sugar-cane districts are almost as high (2.56%). Of the 448 diabetics, 133 (33.7%) gave a family history of diabetes. Overweight was more common among the female diabetics (52.90%) than the males (35.2%). 44.2% of the female diabetics had more than five live births compared with 25.2% of the non-diabetic females. There is an excess of female diabetics over the age of 40, and both overweight and multiparity of eight or more are responsible for it. The consumption of refined sugar cannot account for the high prevalence of diabetes in Trinidad nor for the racial differences between East Indians and Negroes.

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