Inter-relationship between type-2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and Hypertension in Nigeria

Background: The trio; hypertension, obesity and type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) share similar risk factors and frequently co-exist. This hospital-based case-control study investigated the relationship between high blood pressure, body mass index and plasma glucose concentration among persons attending Nigeria National hospital, Abuja. Materials and methods: After ethical approval, 45 case subjects (known T2DM) and 45 controls (non-diabetics) within the age range of 25-60 years were enrolled and their body mass index and blood pressure (BP) measured. Furthermore, the case group were subdivided into 15 Diabetic patients ≤ 5 years on treatment (group 1), 15 Diabetic patients with cardiovascular disease (group 2), 15 Diabetic patients with nephropathy (group 3) and the control group subdivided into 15 apparently healthy subjects (control 1), 15 Non-diabetic patients with cardiovascular disease (control 2), and 15 Non-diabetic patients with nephropathy (control 3). Results: Seventy-five (83.3 %) of both the subject and control had no family history of diabetes while only 15 (16.7 %) were reported to have family history of diabetes. There was significant association between family history of diabetes with the presence of T2DM among participants (p = 0.001). Forty-one (45.5 %) of the subjects had normal BMI as against 49 (54.4 %) that were obese. Forty-four (48.8 %) of all groups were normotensive while 46 (51.1%) had high blood pressure (> 140/100 mmHg). Similarly, 41 (45.5 %) of the subjects had normal BMI as against 49 (54.4 %). There was significant difference in the proportions of overweight among the different study groups (p =0.007). High BMI occurred mostly in diabetic subjects with nephropathy. The diabetic subjects with nephropathy and apparently health non-diabetic subjects had the most cases of high BP. There is significant difference in blood pressure among the study groups (p=0.002). Conclusion: Findings from this study revealed that obesity and a family history of diabetes are important risk factors for T2DM. Hence, early BP management and body weight regulation are needed to prevent DM and its complications.