Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Among the Pakistani Population: Results of a Cross-sectional Survey

Introduction Diabetes is a global issue. The aim of this study was to identify the high-risk population and factors associated with the future development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Family Medicine clinics of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, from July 2016 to February 2017. Patients or patient care attendants aged 21 to 85 years visiting the clinics were included. Individuals with known diabetes or with serious comorbid conditions were excluded. A total of 600 participants were consecutively approached. QDiabetes (an online diabetes risk calculator) was used to measure the risk of developing T2DM. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 19.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used for data analysis. Results Information from a total of 522 participants was included in the final analysis. Roughly 53% of them were between 25 and 44 years of age. There was a predominance of females (63%). Thirty-eight percent of patients were at high-risk. The factors associated with high risk of T2DM were as follows: age 65 years or greater (Relative risk [RR]: 5.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.01 to 16.76); female (RR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.05 to 3.28, p = 0.03); a past history of hypertension (RR: 5.11; 95% CI: 2.49 to 10.49); a family history of diabetes (RR: 9.76; 95% CI: 5.49 to 13.35). Conclusion Controlling glucose levels and preventing hyperglycemia is a challenging task due to the increasing trend of a sedentary lifestyle and changes in dietary patterns. Counseling should be provided to caregivers and high-risk patients on the prevention of T2DM including lifestyle modifications.