High Prevalence of NIDDM and Impaired Glucose Tolerance in Indian, Creole, and Chinese Mauritians

Abstract

Mauritius, a multiethnic island nation in the southwestern Indian Ocean, has one of the world's highest diabetes mortality rates. The prevalence of both impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) was investigated in 5080 Muslim and Hindu Indian, Creole (mixed African, European, and Indian origin), and Chinese Mauritian adults aged 25-74 yr who were selected by random cluster sampling. Based on a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and World Health Organization criteria, the age-standardized prevalence of IGT was significantly greater in women (19.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 18.1-21.2) than in men (11.7%, CI 10.5-12.8). By contrast, the prevalence of NIDDM was similar in men (12.1%, CI 10.9-13.4) and women (11.7%, CI 10.5-12.8) for all ethnic groups combined. The sex difference in IGT prevalence was seen in all ethnic groups, but for NIDDM, the sex difference was not consistent across ethnic groups. However, age- and sex-standardized prevalence of IGT and NIDDM was remarkably similar across ethnic groups (16.2 and 12.4% in Hindu Indians, 15.3 and 13.3% in Muslim Indians, 17.5 and 10.4% in Creoles, and 16.6 and 11.9% in Chinese, respectively). Three new cases of diabetes were diagnosed for every two known cases. The high prevalence of abnormal glucose tolerance in Indian subjects is consistent with studies of other migrant Indian communities, but the findings in Creole and, in particular, Chinese subjects are unexpected. Potent environmental factors shared between ethnic groups in Mauritius may be responsible for the epidemic of glucose intolerance.

Is there a relationship between leptin and insulin sensitivity independent of obesity?A population-based study in the Indian Ocean nation of Mauritius

“…The subjects were drawn from a populationbased non-communicable disease survey performed in Mauritius in 1987 and are described in detail elsewhere. 17,18 Mauritius is an island nation located in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The multiethnic population comprises about 70% of Asian Indian origin, 27.9% Creole (mixed with mainly African ancestry) and 2.1% Chinese.…”

“…8,9,13±15 This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between insulin sensitivity and leptin concentration independent of obesity in data from a large epidemiological study of diabetes and cardiovascular (CVD) disease in the multiethnic population of Mauritius. 17 …”

Leptin and other components of the Metabolic Syndrome in Mauritius—a factor analysis

“…16 Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as kgam 2 and waist and hip girth were measured in duplicate to calculate waista hip ratio (WHR) from the means of measurements as previously described. 14 Eligibility for the present study was limited to 1414 men and 1654 women who were non-diabetic (normal and impaired glucose tolerance) in 1987, and who also attended a follow-up survey in 1992, as leptin measurements were only done on sera frozen since 1987 (À20 C) in subjects who attended both surveys. People with diabetes were excluded, consistent with the previous analyses.…”

“…14,15 Mauritius is an island nation located in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The multiethnic population comprises about 70% Asian Indian origin, 27.9% Creole (mixed with mainly African ancestry) and 2.1% Chinese.…”

Oxidative stress could precede endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance in Indian Mauritians with impaired glucose metabolism

“…The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius recently provided the background for a longitudinal epidemiological study (1987±1998) which is now seen as an indicator of the potential global impact of Type II diabetes [2,3]. Mauritius has a multiethnic population of 1.2 million, including people of Asian Indian (66 %), mixed European-African-Indian (31 %) and Chinese (3 %) descent.…”