Epidemiological and clinical patterns of diabetes mellitus in Benghazi, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

The clinical characteristics and prevalence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) diagnosed in Benghazi are reported. Data were based on the analysis of records for the period 1981 to 1990. A total of 8922 NIDDM cases (4081 males, 4841 females) were registered during the study period. The overall prevalence rate of NIDDM was 0.19%; it was significantly higher in females (0.21%) than males (0.17%) (P < 0.01). The prevalence rate in patients aged > or = 20 years was 3.8% and was significantly higher in females (4.7%) than in males (2.9%) (P < 0.01). Prevalence rates increased with each higher age group and peaked in the 50-54 years age group. Prevalence of hypertension was 22.5% and prevalence of overweight was 59.4%. The most common complications of diabetes were neuropathy (45.7%), retinopathy (30.5%) and nephropathy (25.2%).