The Incident Pattern and Trend of Type 2 Diabetes Among Adults in Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria

Abstract

<i>Background</i>: Epidemiologic data indicate that the incident characteristics of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are proper metrics to accurately define the true trajectory of the metabolic disorder. However, this is poorly characterized among Nigerians with T2DM. Hence, the current study evaluated the incident characteristics (pattern/trend) of T2DM among adult inhabitants of Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria. <i>Methods</i>: A retrospective survey of incident adult-onset T2DM in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) was conducted using 5-year (2014-2018) hospital medical data. Records of eligible cases were identified, relevant data retrieved on a well-designed research pro forma at the point of diagnosis, and acquired data analyzed using descriptive/comparative statistics. <i>Results</i>: A total of 47,357 adults with varied medical conditions presented in UUTH during 2014-2018 of whom 2,198 (mean age: 55.09±11.86 years) were diagnosed with T2DM, giving an overall crude incident rate (CIR) of 4.64% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 3.61-6.91) and age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of 5.36% (95%CI: 3.96-7.45). An increasing trend of the annual incident cases, CIR, and ASIR of T2DM was observed during the period (p trend <0.001). The increase was obvious among both genders, young adults, middle-aged, urban dwellers, tertiary-level educated, paralleling the rising low physical activity, overweight, and obesity (p trend <0.05). However, a decreasing trend of the CIR and ASIR was observed among the rural-dwellers (p trend <0.05). <i>Conclusion</i>: The incidence of adult-onset T2DM has assumed an upward trend among inhabitants of Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria. Public health measures are urgently recommended to stem this trend.