The nightmare of impaired fasting glucose in young adults: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Prediabetes, a precursor of frank Diabetes Mellitus, can be diagnosed before it gives rise to the actual disease condition if a screening strategy is adopted in young adults. Once diagnosed, lifestyle modifications can make prediabetes reversible thereby preventing the morbidity and mortality associated with frank Diabetes Mellitus.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG), a precursor to type 2 diabetes, among young adults (aged 17–24 years) at Nowshera Medical College, Nowshera.

Materials & Methods:  A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Nowshera Medical College, Nowshera, from June 2023 to November 2023 on 124 students (73 males, 51 females) aged 17-24 years using nonrandom consecutive sampling. After informed consent, participants underwent anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and BMI) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) testing. Prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (defined as FBG ≥100 mg/dl and <126 mg/dl per ADA criteria) was determined. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 22, with p≤0.05 considered significant.

Results: The mean age was 20.70 ± 1.42 years. Of the participants, 23.4% (n=29) had impaired fasting glucose, while 76.6% (n=95) had normal FBG levels. No significant gender differences were observed in the prevalence of IFG. Among those with IFG, 68.9% (n=20) had normal BMI, and 20% (n=6) were pre-obese.

Conclusion: The study found that 23.4% of participants exhibited impaired fasting glucose, emphasizing the need for early interventions and lifestyle modifications to prevent the progression to type 2 diabetes. There was no significant gender-based difference in prevalence, though IFG was more common among participants with normal BMI.