Prevalence of Diabetes in Different Regional and Religious South Asian Communities in Coventry

The prevalence of Type 2 (non‐insulin‐dependent) diabetes in different South Asian (Asian) communities was compared during the Coventry Diabetes Study, a cross‐sectional house to house screening programme for diabetes. Screening was by capillary whole blood glucose measurement with oral glucose tolerance tests when concentrations were ± 6.0 mmol 1⁻¹ within 2 h of a meal or ± 5.0 mmol 1⁻¹ 2 h or more after a meal and a random 10% of others. Of the 4395 resident Asians, 94% were represented by five communities: Punjabi Sikhs, Punjabi Hindus, Gujerati Moslems, Gujerati Hindus, and Pakistani Moslems. Response to screening was 77–89% and to glucose tolerance test was 59–79%. Differences in anthropometry, socioeconomic circumstances, and migratory patterns were found, but all groups had a higher prevalence of Type 2 diabetes than Europeans. Gujerati Moslems had the highest age‐adjusted prevalence (per 1000) of Type 2 diabetes (males: 160 (95% CI 107–228), females: 204 (95% CI 144–283)) when compared with the other Asian groups (males: Punjabi Sikhs 89(72–110), Pakistani Moslems 91(67–120), Gujerati Hindus 84(57–120), Punjabi Hindu 113(74–171); females: Punjabi Sikhs 75(60–94), Pakistani Moslems 103(78–133), Gujerati Hindus 88(62–122), Punjabi Hindu 116(77–174)). That all the Asian groups had a high prevalence of diabetes, in spite of their known dietary, cultural, and socioeconomic differences, suggests that the Asian predisposition to Type 2 diabetes is inherited although environmental factors may be necessary for this to be expressed. 1992 Diabetes UK