Diabetes in the elderly: an under-diagnosed condition.

The proportion of the population aged 65 years and over is increasing. The Coventry Diabetes Study was able to investigate the prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes among elderly (aged > or = 65 years) Europeans (n = 1600) and South Asians (n = 288) in Foleshill, Coventry. The total prevalence of diabetes was higher in South Asians than Europeans among males (30.7 (95% CI 24.0-37.9)% vs 7.7 (95% CI 5.8-10.0)%, respectively) and females (24.0 (95% CI 17.5-32.4)% vs 12.5 (95% CI 10.6-14.8)%, respectively). The proportion with diagnosed diabetes was higher among South Asians than Europeans (55% vs 33%, p < 0.001), possibly because of their earlier onset. These findings suggest that detection of diabetes in elderly Europeans in urban areas may be inadequate.