In September Dr Xu Yu of the Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine published a study in JAMA which showed that the prevalence of diabetes had increased to 12% of adults Chinese. The prevalence of 'pre-diabetes' was said to be at 50%. However in a letter published in JAMA this week Dr Kristine Faerch of the Steno Diabetes Center, Denmark, says the alarming figures published Dr Xu are a false alarm caused by the measurement of different parameters, not a true change in the rates of diabetes.
Dr Faerch says the rates of diabetes were increased by adding the HbA1c criterion to the diagnosis of diabetes and using the lower diagnostic threshold for impaired fasting glucose of 100 mg/dL instead of 110 mg/dL.
When more conventional methods of measuring diabetes are used, the rates of diabetes are unchanged from the last study done two years ago, at around 9.7%, she notes. Also the rates of pre-diabetes will be 15% rather than the 50% suggested by Dr Xu's study, she adds.
Another letter in JAMA says Dr Xu's study would also overestimate levels of diabetes because it ignored non-residents of cities such as migrant workers, college students, and military personnel who would likely have lower levels of diabetes.
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