Prevalence of Diabetes and Impaired Fasting Glucose in the Adult Population of Iran

OBJECTIVE—Despite concerns regarding a diabetes epidemic in the Middle East, internationally published data on national estimates of prevalent type 2 diabetes in Iran do not exist. With this article, we document a dramatically high prevalence of diabetes in Iran. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Our data are based on the results of the first Survey of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases of Iran, 2005. In this national cross-sectional survey, 70,981 Iranian citizens aged 25–64 years were recruited. RESULTS—We found that 7.7% of adults aged 25–64 years, or 2 million adults, have diabetes, among whom one-half are undiagnosed. An additional 16.8%, or 4.4 million, of Iranian adults have impaired fasting glucose. CONCLUSIONS—The high prevalence of diabetes in working-age adults is an ominous sign for this developing nation. As the relatively young Iranian population ages in the future and urbanization continues or accelerates, the prevalence of diabetes will likely escalate.