Prevalence of Pre-Diabetes and Its Associated Risk Factors among Medical Students in Jazan University KSA

Objectives: Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases in Saudi Arabia. Pre-diabetes is the predisposition to diabetes that is accompanied by metabolic syndrome, which accelerates the process leading to diabetes and causes an increase in complications, so this current study aimed to detect the prevalence of pre-diabetes in apparently medical students in Jazan University, also investigate the clinical conditions accompanying prediabetes and the effect of the association of metabolic syndrome on clinical outcomes in prediabetic. Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of medical laboratory science of Jazan University between February 2025 and April 2025 on male and female students in Jazan University, Jazan city. A hundred apparently healthy medical students between the ages of 18 and 23 were recruited based on defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A questionnaire form with details of age, weight, height, History of HT, Smoking, Family history of dyslipidemia, family history of diabetes, Physical activity, History of CAD, hormonal disorders, and family history of ASCVD was obtained. Approximately, 5 ml of blood was extracted for the measurement of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, lipid profile and insulin. Comparison between groups was done for statistical significance using an unpaired t-test. Significance was set at P < 0.05 for all comparisons. Results: In the total study sample of 100 patients, the prevalence of prediabetes was 27% (FPG: 100 - 125 mg/dl, HbA1c: 5.7 - 6.4%). Among 50 females, 14 females (28%) had prediabetes while 13 males from 50 had prediabetes. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was present in 16 of 27 prediabetic patients included in the study. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) elevation, dyslipidemia, and high triglyceride were detected more frequently in prediabetic individuals accompanied by MetS. Conclusion: Results of the current study showed a 27% prevalence of pre-diabetes among medical students. Dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome coexistence make prediabetic individuals accompanied by MetS at greater risk.