Identification of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes by systolic blood pressure and waist-to-hip ratio

We estimated the current prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the Vietnamese population and developed simple diagnostic models for identifying individuals at high risk of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. The study was designed as a cross-sectional investigation with 721 men and 1,421 women, who were aged between 30 and 72 years and were randomly sampled from Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in Vietnam. A 75 g oral glucose tolerance test to assess fasting and 2 h plasma glucose concentrations were determined for each individual. The ADA diagnostic criteria were used to determine the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. WHR and blood pressure were also measured in all individuals. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 10.8% in men and 11.7% in women. Higher WHR and blood pressure were independently associated with a greater risk of type 2 diabetes. Compared with participants without central obesity and hypertension, the odds of diabetes was increased by 6.4-fold (95% CI 3.2-13.0) in men and 4.1-fold (2.2-7.6) in women with central obesity and hypertension. Two nomograms were developed that help identify men and women at high risk of type 2 diabetes. The current prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the Vietnamese population is high. Simple field measurements such as waist-to-hip ratio and systolic blood pressure can identify individuals at high risk of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.