Comparison of ADA 1997 and WHO 1985 criteria for diabetes in south Indians--the Chennai Urban Population Study. American Diabetes Association.

Aims: To compare the American Diabetes Association (ADA) fasting criteria and World Health Organization (WHO) 2-h criteria for diabetes in an urban south Indian population.

Methods: Subjects were drawn from the Chennai Urban Population Study. Of the 1001 subjects studied, 52 (5.2%) were diagnosed as having diabetes according to WHO 2-h criteria and 32 (3.2%) according to the ADA fasting criteria.

Results: Twenty-five (48%) of the subjects diagnosed with diabetes by the WHO 2-h criteria were not classified as having diabetes by the ADA fasting criteria. Similarly, of the 78 subjects (7.8%) classified as having impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), only eight (10.3%) had impaired fasting glucose (IFG) according to the ADA fasting criteria. The overall agreement between the WHO 2-h criteria and ADA fasting criteria was poor (kappa = 0.40).

Conclusions: Use of the ADA fasting criteria results in a lower prevalence rates of diabetes in this lean urban south Indian population.