Pooled analysis of population studies of diabetes in the Canary Islands

Abstract

Resumen: Background and aims: Apparently the Canary Islands suffer from the highest diabetes mortality rate in Spain. We did a pooled analysis of three prevalence studies carried out starting from the turn of the century. Methods: Pooled analysis of the following prevalence studies: "Guia," "Telde," and "CDC Canaries." The combined prevalence was standardized for European as well as worldwide populations. Results: From 7167 subjects surveyed. The major prevalences for ages 20-30 years were: 2.5% (95% CI 1.2-3.8) for males and 1.5% (95% CI 0.6-2.4) for females. Between 30 and 74 years the major prevalences were 15.8% (95% CI 13.1-18.5) for males and 12.3 (95% CI 11.3-13.3) for females. Prevalences exceeded 30% for those subject over 60 years old. Conclusions: Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in the Canary Islands is very high and has increased over the previous decade. DM is frequent, even for young adults. Due to the severity of the problem, it is recommended that this community plan public health strategies combined with clinical programs.