[Risk of type 2 diabetes in the city of Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina]

Due to the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) in our country and the scarce information on this disease in our environment, we conducted a population survey in the city of Río Gallegos with the aim of estimating the risk of developing DM2 in the next 10 years.

An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted using the Findrisc survey at different points in the city. Participants over 18 years of age and without a known diagnosis of diabetes were included in the study, excluding pregnant women and those who refused to respond or were unable to do so due to some disability.

The sample included 203 people, 64.5% of whom were women. Of the participants, 38.9% were under 45 years old, and 24.6% reported taking medication for high blood pressure. The 76.8% had a body mass index >25 kg/m2 and 43.8% were obese. The 19.7% had a high risk, 2% had a very high risk, and only 15.3% had a low risk score for developing the disease.

From the analysis of the study population, we concluded that 21.7% have a high to very high risk of developing diabetes in the next 10 years. The Findrisc questionnaire is a simple, inexpensive, noninvasive tool, and its implementation does not entail psychological harm to the population surveyed.