A pilot epidemiologic study of diabetes mellitus in the Sudan

Records of 523 consecutive diabetic patients attending a diabetic clinic in Wad Madeni, Central Region, Sudan, were reviewed to determine epidemiologic features and the relation between their diabetes and nutritional state. The male to female ratio was 0.97:1. The age at diagnosis ranged between 0-61 years with a mean age of 51.7 +/- 11.9 years for males and 49.4 +/- 11.4 for females. Obesity was a feature, in that 47.4% of females and 30% of males were determined to be in excess of normal body mass index (BMI) standards. A family history of diabetes was present in 67% of cases. Hypertension was present in 38% of cases; it was slightly more common among females than males (52% vs 48%), respectively. Insulin was employed for control of diabetes in 75% of cases, and oral hypoglycaemics in 20%. The remainder were on diet therapy alone. Thirty-four percent of the patients are rural dwellers that should be saved from disabling and even fatal complications of the disease in combination with malnutrition and infectious diseases that hasten death in rural areas. It is hoped that the interest of those concerned regarding public health implications of the findings in this study will be stimulated.