Community-Based Study of Prevalence of NIDDM in Older Adults

Prevalence rates of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) based on an oral glucose tolerance test, history, and medication use were evaluated in an upper-middle-class community of older White adults in southern California between 1984 and 1987. By World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, 14.7% of the 997 men and 11.3% of the 1243 women 50–89 yr of age had NIDDM. Of those classified as having diabetes by WHO criteria, 55.8% of the men and 73.8% of the women met the criteria solely by their postchallenge glucose (PCG) levels. Prevalence rates of diabetes were substantially lower when based on fasting hyperglycemia (5.0% of men and 2.2% of women) or a history of diabetes (5.7% of men and 3.1% of women). When all criteria were considered, 16.5% of the men and 12.7% of the women had NIDDM, and 89.2% of those classified as having diabetes by any criteria met the WHO criteria for diabetes. Prevalence of NIDDM based on WHO criteria or PCG level alone increased systematically with age (P < 0.001), and at each decade for every criterion the prevalence of NIDDM was more common among men than women. By these criteria, NIDDM is one of the most common chronic diseases associated with aging.