Early diabetes mellitus in perspective. A population study in Sudbury, Mass

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
An epidemiologic study of the town of Sudbury, Mass., has resolved the disparity in reported prevalence rates for early diabetes mellitus. When diagnoses required elevated postprandial blood sugars and an abnormal glucose tolerance test (GTT), 0.8% of the population were found to have previously unrecognized diabetes. A sub-study on a random 5% sample of the population indicated that prevalence determined by the GTT alone, without postprandial prescreentng, would be 1.2%. Furthermore, the diagnostic criteria of Fajans and Conn, and of the British Diabetes Association give rates of 5.6% and 6.8%, respectively, for the same data. Moreover, diagnoses based on a single postglucose value gave figures ranging from 8.1% to 13.4%. Elevations of both postprandial and postglucose values are considered to indicate active clinical diabetes. Postglucose abnormalities alone, indicative of chemical diabetes, are considered meaningful, however, for their relationship to increased atherosclerotic vascular disease.

This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit: