Estimation of diabetes prevalence among immigrants from the Middle East in Sweden by using three different data sources.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate diabetes prevalence in immigrants from the Middle East in Sweden compared with Swedish-born subjects. This group accounts for around 15% of Sweden's non-European immigrants.


METHODS
Three samples were used: self-reported diabetes in a random sample (SALLS sample) of subjects aged 35-64 years in Sweden (n=22,032); known diabetes among patients aged 35-64 years in primary care (PC) at four primary healthcare centers in Stockholm County (n=30,679); and known and newly diagnosed diabetes in a random population sample of subjects aged 60 years in Stockholm County (n=4106).


RESULTS
The odds ratio (OR) for subjects from the Middle East was: 1.69 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96-2.99) in the SALLS sample; 4.43 (95% CI 3.38-5.56) in the PC sample; and 3.96 (95% CI 1.98-7.92) in the age-60 sample, compared with native Swedes. Subjects from European and other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries showed an excess risk only in the SALLS sample (1.43, 95% CI 1.11-1.83).


CONCLUSIONS
Immigrants from the Middle East showed a four-fold higher risk of diabetes compared with Swedish-born subjects in two of the three data sources. More studies are needed to confirm these results, but the findings call for targeted preventative strategies in this population group.
Center for Family and Community Medicine Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden. Per.Wandell@ki.se
P E
PE
Wändell
S E
SE
Johansson
C
C
Gåfvels
M L
ML
Hellénius
U
U
de Faire
J
J
Sundquist
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008877:Middle East / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology