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Prevalence of Diabetes, Glycosuria and Related Variables Among a Cape Coloured Population


Carol Michael
Isobel Edelstein
Adrienne Whisson
Margaret MacCullum
I O'Reilly
Anthea Hardcastle
M.G. Toyer
W.P.U. Jackson

Abstract

A representative community of Cape Coloured people were surveyed in order to assess the prevalence of diabetes and related variables. The randomly selected sample consisted of 1 534 persons over the age of 10 years, of whom 63% were persuaded to undergo screening by blood-sugar level and testing for glycosuria 1 hour after a 50 g glucose load. The mean blood-sugar values obtained rose with age, were the same in each sex, and were a little higher among the Moslem sub-group. They were higher than those found in other racial groups. Blood-sugar levels did not correlate with body weight or parity. The prevalence of known diabetes at all ages was 1'1% and of 'discovered diabetes' 6'1 %. The total diabetes prevalence over the age of 15 was 8-7%; over the age of 55 it was 25%. There was little difference between the sexes. Diabetes was diagnosed in 7 children of 16 years of age or less, none of whom had symptoms. Symptoms were in fact extremely uncommon at all ages, even with gross hyperglycaemia and fasting glycosuria. In many diabetics, however, glycosuria was absent; urine testing alone pr.oved an unreliable guide to the diagnosis. A family history of diabetes was found in 18% of the whole community and was no higher among the discovered diabetics, but was present in 4 of the 7 juvenile diabetics. Obesity was uncommon among the men in general (7%), but frequent among the women (30%). The discovered diabetics were even fatter, and the young (under 40) diabetics were fatter than the over-40s, a result we have found in other races. We conclude that the Cape Coloured community are remarkably hyperglycaemic (for obscure reasons), and that this hyperglycaemia is rarely associated with symptoms, but importantly associated with vascular disease.


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eISSN: 2078-5135
print ISSN: 0256-9574