The 5-year incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in women over 15 years old in Ankara, Turkey: A population-based study

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a significant cause of morbidity and premature mortality especially in adults. In Turkey, there are few studies on DM incidence. This study aimed to determine the incidence of type 2 DM in women aged 15 years and older in Turkey.
This prospective cohort study was performed from December 2002 to May 2003. Preliminary population-based screening was performed in 1997 and 1998 on women aged 15 years or older living in 4 villages in the Gölbaşı, Ankara province. Five hundred sixty-three women who were considered “nondiabetic” in the first study comprised the population for the present study. Data collection was accomplished by using a questionnaire and randomly measuring the blood glucose levels of the women. The chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to analyze the risk factors for DM.

The 5-year incidences of type 2 DM, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) were 2.3%, 0.4%, and 0.7%, respectively. The 5-year incidence of type 2 DM increased with age (P < .05). The DM incidence was, 6.2% in those with mixed-type hypertension and 4.0% in those with a body mass index of 30 kg/m² or higher. At 5-year follow-up, age (≥35 years), hypertension, and body mass index (≥30) are the risk factors for incident abnormal glucose metabolism on (P < .05). The correlates of incident abnormal glucose metabolism are in accord with those of the literature. Our results will contribute to our understanding of the incidence of DM in women in Turkey.