Prevalence of obesity in Korean non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients

A total of 15,665 Korean non-insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDDM) patients, aged over 30 years, was studied. The percent ideal body weight (%IBW) and body mass index (BMI) at the time of the study were obtained. Also, the percent maximal ideal body weight (%IBWM) and maximal body mass index (BMIM) were derived from the past maximal body weight by taking down the subject's weight histories. Other clinical characteristics such as age and sex distributions were analyzed. Laboratory findings including serum lipids and HgbA1c were determined. The results were as follows: the levels of serum total-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride rose significantly as obesity increased. Also, the levels of serum total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were significantly higher in the female subjects than those in the male subjects. Prevalence of obesity was 32.3% (5058 cases) at the time of study (%IBW over 120%), while 57.9% (9041 cases) were over 120% of maximal ideal body weight (%IBWM). When considering the BMI, prevalence of obesity was 32.4% (5078 cases) at the time of study (BMI over 25 kg/m2), while 60.5% (9437 cases) was over 25 kg/m2 of maximal body mass index (BMIM). The value of the BMI equivalent to the percent ideal body weight of 120% was 25.8 kg/m2 in male and 24.5 kg/m2 in female NIDDM patients in this study.