The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in an adult community as determined by history or fasting hyperglycemia.

In this study the prevalence of diabetes in an adult community was determined using historical criteria and fasting hyperglycemia as definitions of known and previously unknown disease, respectively. Among the 4944 participants ages 30 to 95 years, the prevalence of known diabetes rose from less than 2% in persons less than 45 years of age to 6% in persons over 75 years of age. The prevalence of previously unknown diabetes, defined as a fasting plasma glucose greater than or equal to 140 mg/dl, was less than the prevalence of known diabetes, and relatively stable at 3-4% in persons over age 50. In this population, nearly twice as many men as women had diabetes. This sex ratio was associated with more excessive obesity in men.