Diabetes and hypertension in South African Indians. A community study

A community survey was done to assess the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in Indians living in Durban. Each subject, selected by systematic cluster sampling, had blood pressure measured and a glucose tolerance test. Diagnoses of diabetes mellitus and of hypertension were based on World Health Organization criteria. Of the 1,064 subjects studied 9% had diabetes and 14.2% hypertension; diabetes mellitus was more common in women (10.5%) than men (7%), whereas the prevalence of hypertension was similar in both sexes (women 13.5%, men 14.7%). Hypertension was found in 45.8% of the diabetic subjects, 31.4% of those with impaired glucose tolerance and 9.9% of those with normal glucose tolerance. Although hypertension was more common in women (63.3%) than men (37.9%) in the diabetic group, there was no significant difference in the sex distribution in the subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and those with normal glucose tolerance. Of the subjects with hypertension, 29.1% had diabetes; there was no significant difference in the sex distribution. The mean age-adjusted body mass indices were significantly higher in the hypertensive subjects with all degrees of glucose tolerance than in normotensive subjects. There was a trend towards elevation of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure with increasing degrees of glucose intolerance and increasing age.