Hypertension, obesity and central obesity in diabetics and non diabetics in Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus coexists at a greater frequency with hypertension, obesity, central obesity, dyslipedemia and proteinuria and that markedly increases the risk of atherosclerotic disease. A study was done for a period of four months in Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia to compare the prevalence of atherosclerotic risk factors between diabetic and non diabetic general population. One hundred ninety nine diabetic cases were selected from two hospitals diabetic clinics and 195 non diabetics subjects were selected from urban and rural areas. The general prevalence of hypertension in the entire study population was 18.8%, with 26.1% in diabetics and 10.2% in non diabetics. Multivariate logistic regression showed that hypertension, central obesity, overweight and obesity, and ethnicity had strong association with possibility of diabetes mellitus. The reason for possible racial difference to cardiovascular risk factors and population awareness to these factors should be studied. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2010;24(2):145-147]