Diabetes mellitus in Tunisia: description in urban and rural populations

A prevalence survey of diabetes mellitus was carried out in Tunisia on two random samples of households. The first sample (3826 adult subjects) was drawn from the Gouvernorat of Tunis, the second one (1787 adult subjects), was drawn from a rural area, the Gouvernorat of Siliana. The families were investigated at home and diabetes assessed on the basis of an interview (to determine known cases) and of fasting blood glucose level in subjects having no personal history of diabetes (new cases). Prevalence rates were estimated considering known cases and newly found ones together. Overall, the age-standardized prevalence rate was found to be much higher in the urban sample compared to the rural one, especially for women (4.6% versus 2.3% in men, 3.5% versus 0.6% in women). Diabetes was often associated with obesity, especially in men. Within the urban sample, the prevalence rate was similar in subjects born in Tunis and in those born in the rest of the country, thus mainly of rural extraction. In contrast, a family history of diabetes was more often reported in the former group. The results are consistent with other epidemiological findings, showing that a dramatic increase in diabetes morbidity parallels the rapid westernization of urban centres in developing countries.