DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS CONCOMITANT DISORDERS IN AFGHAN REFUGEES RESIDING IN PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN

Objective: To determine the frequency of diabetes mellitus and its concomitant disorders in Afghan Refugees.Material and Methods: This study was carried out to see the prevalence of a number of diseases in Afghan Refugees attending different dispensaries and hospitals under Red Cross control, located in Peshawar, Pakistan. The diseases that were looked for were diabetes mellitus, hepatitis, nephritis, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus with concomitant disorders like hepatitis, nephritis and hyperlipidemia. A total of 456 Afghan patients were seen with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, hepatitis, nephritis, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus with concomitant disorders like hepatitis, nephritis and hyperlipidemia, attending different dispensaries and hospitals under Red Cross control, located in Peshawar, Pakistan, during a two year study period. Blood glucose, total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides, total and direct bilirubin, urea, creatinine, uric acid, aspartate aminotrans¬ferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were determined by colorimetric method.Results: Four hundred and fifty-six patients examined during the study period included 255 patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), 80 with hepatitis, 69 with nephritis, and 52 with hyperlipidemia. Out of 255 diabetic patients, 45 diabetics had hyperlipidemia, 37 had nephritis, and 22 had hepatitis, whereas the remaining 151 diabetic patients were not having any other concomitant disorder. The patients were divided into adult age group (18 - 50 years) and old age group (51-80 years). The level of total and direct bilirubin was found significantly higher (P < 0.01) in adult male when compared to the old age male patients with hepatitis, whereas the level of serum AST and ALT were found significantly increased (P < 0.05) in old age patients as compared to adult age group patients with hepatitis. Adult male patients had significantly increased levels of cholesterol as compared to the old age male patients with hyperlipidemia. Blood urea levels in old age female group showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) when compared to adult age female patients with nephritis. The rest of the parameters were found statistically indifferent in both sexes in adult and old age patients with nephritis. In female diabetic patients with nephritis the blood uric acid levels were found to be significantly lower in old age patients as compared to the adult age group patients.Conclusion: The frequency of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus was found to be very high in Afghan refugees in Peshawar then the rest of the diseases and the percentage of male patients in all groups of diseased subjects is higher than the female.