Diabetes in rural individuals of different nutritional status and the alarming situation demands focus more on its under-nutrition association.

OBJECTIVE

To study the relationship of nutritional-status with diabetes.

DESIGN

The socioeconomics/anthropometrics, blood-glucose/systemic-hypertension are evaluated in consecutively-selected diabetic-patients.

SETTING

Semi-urban/rural India.

SUBJECTS

Hyperglycaemic patients (total 90/male 37).

RESULTS

Blood-glucose (PP-mean ± SE) in individuals is overweight - 38.89% (226.94 ± 9.59), normal-weight - 50% (217.58 ± 1.34), underweight - 11.11% (305.50 ± 21.35) indicating most hyperglycaemia in undernourished-group (F = 6.357, p < 0.003). This group occupies higher glucose-groups in ≤140, 141-270, and ≥270 mg/dL. The blood-glucose negatively correlates with waist(r = -0.282; p < 0.01) and hip (r = -0.254; p < 0.05) circumference indicating the under-nutrition association with glucose-homeostasis (F = 7.6-8.2, p < 0.001). The higher glucose is noticed in more number of individuals in lower (<40 years) age-group (χ(2 )= 12.86; p < 0.002/ρ = -0.355; p < 0.001). The prevalence of hypertension is 28% (underweight = 20%, overweight = 27%, normal = 30%). The group of 141-270 mg/dL glucose has 45% and rest groups together have 23% hypertensive individuals relating directly, hypertension and diabetic-onset.

CONCLUSIONS

Diabetes, explored in <40 years group and even more in female should be extensively studied accounting WHO categorization (1985/TRS/727) of malnutrition related diabetes (MRDM). Further, different interactive risk-factors should be properly addressed and the global-malnutrition/gender-based inequities be eradicated.