Diabetes prevalence and metabolic risk profile in an unselected population visiting pharmacies in Switzerland

betes prevalence and metabolic risk profile in an unselected population visiting pharmacies in Switzerland Original Research (1176) Total Article Views Authors: Rey A, Thoenes M, Fimmers R, Meier CA, Bramlage P Published Date September 2012 Volume 2012:8 Pages 541 - 547 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/VHRM.S35896 Received: 12 July 2012 Accepted: 28 August 2012 Published: 21 September 2012 Alexandre Rey,1 Martin Thoenes,1,2 Rolf Fimmers,3 Christoph A Meier,4 Peter Bramlage5 1Sanofi Aventis, Medical Department, Meyrin, Switzerland; 2Institute for Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Germany; 3Institut für Medizinische Biometrie, Informatik und Epidemiologie, Universit t Bonn, Germany; 4Klinik für Innere Medizin, Stadtspital Triemli, Zürich, Switzerland; 5Institut für Pharmakologie und pr ventive Medizin, Mahlow, Germany Background: Diabetes represents one of the major health challenges in Switzerland, and early diagnosis and treatment is mandatory to prevent or delay diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. For the purpose of identifying affected individuals, early screening in pharmacies is a valuable option. In this survey, we aimed to determine blood glucose and metabolic control in an unselected population of individuals visiting Swiss pharmacies. Methods: The subjects responded to a short questionnaire and underwent a single capillary blood glucose test for screening purposes. They were classified as normal, indeterminate, impaired fasting glucose, and diabetes according to predefined blood glucose levels. Results: A total of 3135 individuals (mean age 56 years) in 18 cantons were screened in November 2010; of these, 4.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.5–4.9) had previously been diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes was newly diagnosed in 1.9% (95% CI 1.5–2.4), and 11.5% (95% CI 10.4–12.6) had impaired fasting glucose. Subjects with impaired glucose control had an increased body mass index, a frequent family history of diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and a low level of physical activity. Prevalence of impaired glucose control was different between the French/Italian-speaking part of Switzerland (new diabetes 4.9%; impaired fasting glucose 12.7%) and the German-speaking part (new diabetes 1.9%; impaired fasting glucose 10.3%). Conclusion: Our study shows a 6.1% prevalence of diabetes, of which about a third (1.9%) was previously undiagnosed, and 11.5% had impaired fasting glucose. Therefore, screening initiatives in pharmacies may be suitable for detecting people with undiagnosed diabetes.