Prevalence of Diabetes among Obese People in Bénin: Case of the Cities of Bohicon and Abomey
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Obesity is rising sharply in most industrialized countries as well in developing areas and this increase was parallel to that of diabetes mellitus. Both physiopathologic ties diseases are real health problems. This adds to a psychological impact which caused an economic and social cost of primary importance. The present work, firstly aims at evaluating the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in obese persons and secondly at looking for other risk factors for diabetes in obese people. 130 people (20 men and 110 women) were sampled in the cities of Bohicon and Abomey in Bénin. The variables studied were: age, gender, anthropometric variables (height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, capillary and blood glucose), biochemical variables (plasma glucose, total cholesterol, high density lipid –HDL-, low density lipoprotein –LDL-). The prevalence of diabetes in the obese people taken into account was 15.38%, the rate was seven times higher than that found in non-obese. Even if this rate is higher than that of non-obese population, it shows that not all diabetics are obese. We were not able to assess the impact of heredity and dyslipemia on the development of diabetes in obese people. To conclude, obesity is not directly linked to the origin of the diabetic condition, but it triggers diabetes more than it causes it.
Keywords: Diabetes, obesity, physiopathology, prevalence