Prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in the urban population of 30 to 79 years of the city of Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo

Objective: To assess the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in the urban population aged 30-79 years of the city of Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Methods: It was performed a population survey, from August 2007 to June 2008. Non diabetic individuals, excluding pregnant women, and those with fasting capillary glycemia <= 199 mg/dl were administered oral glucose tolerance test and classified as diabetic, with IGT or with normal glucose tolerance. Results: The number of individuals who participated in the study was 1,116. The overall rates of DM and IGT were 13.5% and 5%, respectively. DM and IGT were associated with age, education, body mass index and waist. They were not associated with gender, race or income. Conclusions: The prevalence of DM has increased when compared with previous studies in Brazil and in the state. Improvement in the diagnosis has occurred, however, treatment requires optimization. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2009;53(6):726-32