[Prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the Negev]

10,578 medical records of patients 30 years and older, registered in 3 representative primary care clinics, were reviewed in 1984. 705 diabetics were identified. The prevalence rate was 6.7%: 5.9% among men and 7.1% among women. The male/female ratio was 46/54. In both sexes rates increased with age. The highest age-adjusted rate was among Jews of North African origin (7.5%).