The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose, undiagnosed diabetes mellitus, and associated risk factors among adults presented in the outpatient department in Mogadishu Somalia: A cross-sectional study

Background: Diabetes is a major health concern that has grown to alarming proportions. With more than 500 million sufferers globally, diabetes is one of the most prevalent metabolic diseases. The aim of the study is to find the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients presented to our outpatient department at Mogadishu Somali Turkey Training and Research Hospital. Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted in the largest referral hospital in Mogadishu Somalia, all adult patients who volunteered to give consent have participated in the study. We excluded pregnant women, individuals taking medications that could affect glucose metabolism (e.g., steroids, beta-blockers, and thiazide diuretics), and confirmed diabetic patients from our study. Results: Seven hundred and twenty-two adults with a mean age of 42.85 ± 18.23 years were included. Most of the participants were female 432 (59.8%), aged 20–40 years 329 (45.6%). The prevalence of IFG was common among males (22.4%) and those 60 years and above (30.6%), while the prevalence of undiagnosed DM was high among males (9.7%), aged 40–60 years (13.4%). In the bivariate analysis, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, and comorbidities were found to be significantly associated with the prevalence of IFG in all age groups. Conclusions: IFG was common among outpatient adults. Increased urbanization, the rise of the middle class, and population aging will lead to considerable rises in IFG, undiagnosed diabetes, and diabetes in Somalia in the next years. To limit the growth of diabetes in Somalia, public health interventions must be implemented soon. Promoting the health system and providing education can help.