Adolescent prediabetes in a high-risk Middle East country: a cross-sectional study

To estimate the prevalence of prediabetes in adolescents living in a high-risk country and to detect risk factors associated with this disorder.

Survey questionnaire combined with physical measurements and blood sugar determination.

Doha, capital city of Qatar.

A total of 1694 male and female students aged 11-18 years without previously diagnosed diabetes enrolled in four schools.

Blood sugar measurements. Other measured variables included gender, height, weight, abdominal circumference, country of origin, family history of diabetes and frequency of exercise.

Using a random blood sugar ≥7.8 mmol/L or a fasting blood sugar ≥5.5 mmol/L as cutpoints, we identified 4.2% of students (56 boys, 15 girls) as probable prediabetics. In a multivariate model, being boys (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.7-6.2), having a diabetic parent (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.2) or having a waist-to-height ratio >0.5 (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.0) were significantly associated with being a prediabetic. The parental origin of diabetes had a differential effect upon blood sugar. The mean random blood sugar in students with a maternal inheritance pattern of diabetes was 5.61 mmol/L ± 1.0, compared to 5.39 mmol/L ± 0.89 in students with a paternal inheritance pattern (p = 0.02).

In a country with a high risk of adult diabetes, we identified 4.2% of students aged 11-18 as being prediabetic. Risk factors associated with prediabetes included male gender, family history of diabetes and waist-to-height ratio >0.5.