Prevalence and Management of Diabetes and Associated Risk Factors by Regions of Thailand

Third National Health Examination Survey 2004

  1. Wichai Aekplakorn, PHD1,
  2. Jesse Abbott-Klafter, BA23,
  3. Amorn Premgamone, MD4,
  4. Bodi Dhanamun, MD5,
  5. Chalermchai Chaikittiporn, PHD6,
  6. Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong, PHD7,
  7. Thanaruk Suwanprapisa, MS8,
  8. Weerayuth Chaipornsupaisan, MD3,
  9. Siriwat Tiptaradol, MD9 and
  10. Stephen S. Lim, PHD23
  1. 1Community Medicine Center, Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
  2. 2Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
  3. 3Setting Priorities Using Information on Cost-Effectiveness (SPICE) Project, Ministry of Public Health, Bangkok, Thailand
  4. 4Community Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
  5. 5Preventive and Social Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
  6. 6Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
  7. 7Epidemiology Unit, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand
  8. 8Nursing, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  9. 9Health System Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
  1. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Wichai Aekplakorn, MD, PhD, Community Medicine Center, Ramathibodi Hospital, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok 10400 Thailand. E-mail: rawap{at}mahidol.ac.th

Abstract

OBJECTIVE—The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and their association with cardiovascular risk factors and to evaluate the management of blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol in individuals with diabetes by geographical regions of Thailand.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—With the use of a stratified, multistage sampling design, data from a nationally representative sample of 37,138 individuals aged ≥15 years were collected using questionnaires, physical examination, and blood samples.

RESULTS—The prevalence of diabetes and IFG weighted to the national 2004 population was 6.7% (6.0% in men and 7.4% in women) and 12.5% (14.7% in men and 10.4% in women), respectively. Diabetes was more common in urban than in rural men but otherwise prevalence was relatively uniform across geographical regions. In more than one-half of those with diabetes, the disease had not been previously diagnosed, although the majority of those with diabetes were treated with oral antiglycemic agents or insulin. The prevalence of associated risk factors was high among individuals with diabetes as well as those with IFG. Two-thirds of those with diabetes and concomitant high blood pressure (≥130/80 mmHg) were not aware that they had high blood pressure, and >70% of those with diabetes and concomitant high cholesterol (total cholesterol ≥6.2 mmol/l) were not aware that they had high cholesterol.

CONCLUSIONS—The prevalences of diabetes and IFG were uniformly high in all regions. Improvements in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes and associated risk factors are required if the health burden of diabetes in Thailand is to be averted.

Footnotes

  • Published ahead of print at http://care.diabetesjournals.org on 27 April 2007. DOI: 10.2337/dc06-2319.

    A table elsewhere in this issue shows conventional and Système International (SI) units and conversion factors for many substances.

    The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

    • Accepted April 24, 2007.
    • Received November 13, 2006.
« Previous | Next Article »Table of Contents

This Article

  1. Published online before print April 27, 2007, doi: 10.2337/dc06-2319 Diabetes Care August 2007 vol. 30 no. 8 2007-2012
  1. » Abstract
  2. Full Text
  3. Full Text (PDF)
  4. All Versions of this Article:
    1. dc06-2319v1
    2. 30/8/2007 most recent

Current Issue

  1. February 2010, 33 (2)
  1. Current Issue
  1. Alert me to new issues of Diabetes Care