IDF21-0555 Diabetes mellitus: The silent epidemic overrunning developing countries

Abstract

Background: A fast growing epidemic of diabetes is occurring in many countries. The most dramatic increase has been in low- and middle-income countries, including Tunisia. This pandemic remains hidden in most of the world, which makes it particularly dangerous. Aim: The objectives of our study were to: * Carry out the precocious diagnosis of diabetes in subjects who volunteer for the screening campaign. * Calculate the prevalence of this pathology in the screened population. * Determine the associated epidemiological factors of this pathology. Method: This is a regional descriptive cross-sectional study that has been investigated through a survey to the city of a representative sample of the Tunisian population in order to assess, through questionnaires, its health status, and medical consumption, during the World Day of Diabetes screening during the years 2014 and 2015. The screening involved 2012 individuals 18 years of age and older. During the study, blood glucose measurement was based on fingertip blood glucose monitoring with ON-CALL® and BIONIME® blood glucose monitors. Results: The median age was 52 years with extremes ranging from 19 to 85 years. The majority of patients were between 51 and 60 years of age (31.5%). Our study noted a male predominance with a sex ratio of 2.1. Among the subjects screened, 27.5% were smokers and 10.9% were alcoholics. A family history of diabetes and hypertension was found respectively in 47.37% and 48.56% of the screened subjects. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) was performed in only 8.7% of screened subjects, and postprandial blood glucose (PPG) in 71.3% of screened subjects. In our study, 20% had known diabetes, 3% had unrecognized diabetes and 9.9% had undiagnosed prediabetes. The remaining part of the screened population (67.1%) did not present any abnormalities of glucose metabolism within the limits of the means of exploration used. Almost half of all people with diabetes have unmanaged diabetes. Discussion: Screening campaigns, especially those conducted on World Diabetes Day, remain the most effective strategy to raise awareness of the progression of diabetes, its tremendous impact, and its consequences, especially in low and middle-income countries.