Family history of diabetes in a biethnic population

We have compared the proportion of adult Europeans and South Asians who report a diabetic relative in a household screening programme for diabetes in Foleshill, Coventry, U.K. Family history was available for 75% of 5508 Europeans and 89% of 4395 South Asians. Normal South Asians were more likely to have a diabetic parent (6% vs 9%, p<0.001). The proportion of either group reporting a diabetic parent decreased with age. Those with a diabetic parent had a higher body mass index than other subjects [Europeans 27.3 (26.6-28.0) vs 25.7 (25.5-25.9), South Asians 26.6 (26.2-27.1) vs 25.8 (25.6-25.9) kg.m^{- 2}]. The highest prevalence of diabetes in Europeans was found in those with a diabetic parent, but in South Asians, those with a diabetic sibling had the highest prevalence of diabetes. These findings indicate that while family history and the development of diabetes are associated, the interpretation of family history data is difficult, particularly with increasing age.