Prevalence of prediabetes and related cardiovascular risk factors among Employees of Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Abstract Background: Pre-diabetes, also known as intermediate hyperglycaemia; is defined as a glycemic state which is higher than normal, but lower than the threshold for full blown diabetes. It is considered as an important risk factor for diabetes and its associated complications. However evidences show that these consequences can be averted or delay through lifestyle modifications. Therefore determining its magnitude is a critical step to plan for such mitigation measures. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on employees of a tertiary care hospital from March - June/2019 . Socio-demographic data were collected using self-administered questionnaire. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were performed following WHO guideline. Biochemical parameters were assayed following standard operating procedures. SPSS version 20 was used for data entry and analysis. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Normality test was performed in advance of describing the numeric data and log transformations were carried out when appropriate. International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria were used to classify the glycemic status. Likewise IDF and revised National Cholesterol Education Program Adult treatment panel III (NCEP ATP III) were employed for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Result: we engaged a total of 265 employees in this study. About 35.1% were males and 64.9% were females. Median age was 29 (9) years. Prediabetes was diagnosed in 5.7 % and 18.1% of the participants based on IDF and ADA criteria respectively. While equally 3.4% of them had FBS levels that satisfy the criteria for diagnosis with frank diabetes. In addition 55.1% had a metabolic risk as implied by their waist to height ratio (WHtR), 24.2% had hypertriglyceridemia, 27.9% had above optimal LDL and 57% had decreased HDL. Taken together 17.9% and 21.9% of the participants had metabolic syndrome according to IDF and revised NCEP ATP III criteria respectively. Magnitude of dysglycemia and metabolic syndrome found to increase with age of employees. Conclusion: the prediabetes and metabolic syndrome prevalence observed in the hospital employees was comparable with the general population. Key words: Prediabetes, metabolic syndrome, hospital employees