Abstract
Risk factors associated with diabetes mellitus have been widely researched worldwide, but the determinants of glycemic levels among Tibetans in China are currently unclear. We thus aimed to determine the relationship between altitude and glycemic levels and to identify factors associated with glycemic levels among Tibetans in China. In 2011, a total of 1,659 Tibetans (aged ≥18 years) from Changdu, China, were enrolled to this cross-sectional research. Potential factors associated with postprandial glucose (PPG), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and insulin (INS) levels were assessed. FPG and PPG levels increased with age and total cholesterol (TC) level. In addition, FPG levels were higher among patients with rural residence and hypertension, while PPG levels increased with increasing BMI. INS levels increased with residence, lower education, higher BMI, and higher TG levels and decreased with higher altitude and TC levels. Moreover, risk factors for FPG, PPG, and INS differed in those residing at a higher altitude. These findings identify several important risk factors that affect glycemic levels and may be used to develop effective strategies for metabolic disease prevention among populations in high-altitude areas. Furthermore, these findings suggest that it is necessary to formulate a standard for PPG, FPG, and INS in high-altitude areas.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide, and it continues to increase in prevalence and disease burden [1]
56.4% of participants resided in rural/pastoral areas, and 54.7% lived at an altitude of
fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial glucose (PPG), and INS levels were associated with residence, hypertension, and Body mass index (BMI); FPG and PPG levels increased with age group
Summary
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide, and it continues to increase in prevalence and disease burden [1]. Since 1980, the number of adults with diabetes has quadrupled in the world. The burden of DM, both in terms of economic burden and prevalence, has increased more quickly in developing countries than in developed countries [2]. A recent study reported an odds ratio (OR) of 0.88 for T2 DM among those living 1,500–3,500 m above sea level [4]. Some studies reported that residents in high-altitude areas have lower glycemic levels than residents in sea-level areas [5,6,7]
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