Prevalence of Diabetes in Israel: Epidemiologic Survey

A survey of 4660 Israeli adults aged 30–65 yr revealed an overall diabetes prevalence of 4.1%. Prevalence was slightly lower in women (3.5%) than in men (4.3%), rose with age, and was highest in the group >60 yr old (10.3%). In ∼40% of the diabetic subjects, the diagnosis of diabetes was made as a result of the screening program. Association with a family history of diabetes, obesity, and the presence of other diseases was greater in diabetic than in nondiabetic subjects. The prevalence of diabetes differed among different segments of the survey population when classified according to country of origin, being lowest in African and Asian (1.2%), intermediate in American and European (4.9%), and highest in Israeli born (5.5%); this order of prevalence is the reverse of that reported in earlier surveys. The results indicate that the overall diabetes prevalence in Israel, and that within the European- and American-born segment, is comparable to that reported in other westernized societies. The findings also suggest that environmental factors contribute to the phenotypic expression of the non-insulin-dependent genotype(s) but that the influence of such factors varies with different genetic backgrounds.