Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes among Adults in an Urban Slum in South East Nigeria

Background: Despite the rising prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa, few studies have assessed the prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes in people with low socioeconomic status or urban slums. Methods: Using the WHO STEP-wise approach to surveillance of noncommunicable diseases, we estimated the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes among adults 20 years and older living in two urban slums in Enugu south east Nigeria. Diabetes was defined as previous history of diabetes, use of hypoglycemic agents and fasting blood glucose within the diabetes range on two occasions during the survey period. Study duration was 5 months. Results: Out of the 811 individuals invited to the clinic, 605 (74.6%) participants had their fasting blood glucose measured based on the study protocol. The prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in the population was 11.7% (95% CI; 9.2 - 14.3) and 7.6% (95% CI; 5.0 - 9.7) respectively. About 54.9% were newly detected and 28.1% of them had normal control. The prevalence of diabetes peaked at 55 - 64 years. The odds ratio for diabetes was significantly higher in participants ≥ 45 years (1.033, 95% CI; 1.208 - 3.420), participants with hypertension (0.442, 95% CI; 0.257 - 0.762) and stroke (1.638, 95% CI; 0.459 - 5.848). Conclusion: There is a relatively high prevalence of diabetes among adults in two urban slums in Enugu. Public health educational measures promoting prevention and early detection of diabetes should be encouraged. Efforts should be made to educate the populace on the need for early detection and treatment.