Prevalence of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose in hypertensive adults in rural China

Aim - The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and their associated risk factors in the hypertensive rural Chinese. Methods - A cross-sectional survey was conducted during 2004-2006 with a cluster multistage sampling design. Data from a comprehensive questionnaire, physical examination, and blood tests were obtained from a resident group of 6,412 individuals with hypertension, aged >= 35 years. Results - The prevalence of diabetes among the hypertensive rural adults was 10.0%. The prevalence of IFG was 26.0%, using the new American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria (fasting plasma glucose 5.6-6.9 mmol/l); according to the 1997 ADA criteria (fasting plasma glucose 6.1-6.9 mmol/l), the prevalence of IFG was 9.7%. By using multivariate logistic regression analysis, age, sex (male gender), systolic blood pressure, overweight or obesity, total cholesterol and triglycerides were determined to be risk factors for diabetes (P < 0.05). Conclusions - This study shows that diabetes and IFG are common among hypertensive rural Chinese. In view of the huge number of hypertensive adults in rural China, the results of this study emphasize the need to improve the early detection and prevention of diabetes in China to prevent the emerging diabetes epidemic.