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Published Online: 6 April 2010

Prevalence and Correlates of Diabetes in South Asian Indians in the United States: Findings From the Metabolic Syndrome and Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Study and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Publication: Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders
Volume 8, Issue Number 2

Abstract

Background: Individuals from South Asia have high diabetes prevalence despite low body weight. We compared the prevalence of diabetes among South Asian Indians with other U.S. ethnic groups and explored correlates of diabetes.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 150 South Asian Indians (ages 45–79) in California, using similar methods to the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Type 2 diabetes was classified by fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥126 mg/dL, 2-h postchallenge glucose ≥200 mg/dL, or use of hypoglycemic medication.
Results: A total of 29% of Asian Indians had diabetes, 37% had prediabetes, and 34% had normal glucose tolerance. After full adjustment for covariates, Indians still had significantly higher odds of diabetes compared to whites and Latinos, but not significantly different from African Americans and Chinese Americans in MESA: Indians [odds ratio (OR), 1.0], whites [OR, 0.29; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.17–0.49], Latinos (OR, 0.59; CI, 0.34–1.00) African Americans (OR, 0.77; CI 0.45–1.32), Chinese Americans (OR, 0.78, CI, 0.45–1.32). Variables associated with prediabetes or diabetes among Indians included hypertension, fatty liver, visceral adiposity, microalbuminuria, carotid intima media thickness, and stronger traditional Indian beliefs.
Conclusions: Indian immigrants may be more likely to have diabetes than other U.S. ethnic groups, and cultural factors may play a role, suggesting that this is a promising area of research.

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Published In

cover image Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders
Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders
Volume 8Issue Number 2April 2010
Pages: 157 - 164
PubMed: 19943798

History

Published online: 6 April 2010
Published in print: April 2010
Published ahead of print: 29 November 2009

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Affiliations

A.M. Kanaya, M.D.
Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
C.L. Wassel, Ph.D.
University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California.
D. Mathur, M.B.B.S.
Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
A. Stewart, Ph.D.
Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
D. Herrington, M.D.
Wake Forest University Medical Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
M.J. Budoff, M.D.
Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute, Torrance, California.
V. Ranpura, M.B.B.S.
Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, New York.
K. Liu, Ph.D.
Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.

Notes

Address correspondence to:
Alka Kanaya, M.D.
University of California, San Francisco
Box 1793
1635 Divisadero Street, Suite 515
San Francisco, CA 94115
E-mail: [email protected]

Author Disclosure Statement

No competing financial interests exist.

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