Diabetes Care
Volume 22, Issue 3, 1999, Pages 434-440

Standardized comparison of glucose intolerance in West African-origin populations of rural and urban Cameroon, Jamaica, and Caribbean migrants to Britain (Article)

Mbanya J.-C.N.* , Cruickshank J.K. , Forrester T. , Balkau B. , Ngogang J.Y. , Riste L. , Forhan A. , Anderson N.M. , Bennett F. , Wilks R.
  • a Diabetes Endocrine Unit, Fac. of Med. and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon, Department of Internal Medicine, Fac. of Med. and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, BP 8046, Yaoundé, Cameroon
  • b Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Univ. of Manchester Medical School, Mancester, United Kingdom
  • c Tropical Metabolism Unit, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
  • d INSERM Unité 21, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France
  • e Diabetes Endocrine Unit, Fac. of Med. and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
  • f Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Univ. of Manchester Medical School, Mancester, United Kingdom
  • g INSERM Unité 21, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France
  • h Tropical Metabolism Unit, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
  • i Tropical Metabolism Unit, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
  • j Tropical Metabolism Unit, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica

Abstract

OBJECTIVE - To compare the prevalence of glucose intolerance in genetically similar African-origin populations within Cameroon and from Jamaica and Britain. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Subjects studied were from rural and urban Cameroon or from Jamaica, or were Caribbean migrants, mainly Jamaican, living in Manchester, England. Sampling bases included a local census of adults aged 25-74 years in Cameroon, districts statistically representative in Jamaica, and population registers in Manchester. African- Caribbean ethnicity required three grandparents of this ethnicity. Diabetes was defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) 1985 criteria using a 75- g oral glucose tolerance test (2-h ≥ 11.1 mmol/l or hypoglycemic treatment) and by the new American Diabetes Association criteria (fasting glucose ≥7.0 mmol/l or hypoglycemic treatment). RESULTS - For men, mean BMIs were greatest in urban Cameroon and Manchester (25-27 kg/m2); in women, these were similarly high in urban Cameroon and Jamaica and highest in Manchester (27- 28 kg/m2). The age-standardized diabetes prevalence using WHO criteria was 0.8% in rural Cameroon, 2.0% in urban Cameroon, 8.5% in Jamaica, and 14.6% in Manchester, with no difference between sexes (men: 1.1%, 1.0%, 6.5%, 15.3%, women: 0.5%, 2.8%, 10.6%, 14.0%), all tests for trend P < 0.001. Impaired glucose tolerance was more frequent in Jamaica. CONCLUSIONS - The transition in glucose intolerance from Cameroon to Jamaica and Britain suggests that environment determines diabetes prevalence in these populations of similar genetic origin.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

Jamaica urban population Cameroon human diabetes mellitus rural population controlled study Aged Environment ethnology standardization male female Africa prevalence glucose intolerance Article oral glucose tolerance test major clinical study adult migration United Kingdom body mass impaired glucose tolerance Caribbean Islands
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0033016849&doi=10.2337%2fdiacare.22.3.434&partnerID=40&md5=cb670bac2c66e3d32a6b5505a52cb32a
DOI: 10.2337/diacare.22.3.434
ISSN: 01495992
Cited by: 92
Original Language: English