Diabetes in part-aborigines of Western Australia

One thousand, two hundred and eighteen diabetic subjects living in and around country towns of Western Australia were screened for complications of diabetes. This population included 134 subjects of Aboriginal descent, who were compared with the Caucasoids taking part. In the Aboriginal group there was a greater proportion of Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients, a relative female preponderance (69% compared with 51%) and a tendency to present at an earlier age of onset than their Caucasoid counterparts. Diabetic complications were at least as common in the Aboriginal group as in the Caucasoid patients. Indeed, retinopathy within 10 years of onset of diabetes was more common in the Aborigines. Peripheral neuropathy was more prevalent in Aborigines treated by diet alone or oral hypoglycaemic agents than in Caucasoids. A much greater prevalence of proteinuria was an additional feature of the Aboriginal subgroup (29% versus 4%).