Risk Factors for Diabetes Mellitus: A Population Based Study

Abstract

The present study tried to examine the risk factors associated with diabetes in Bangladesh utilizing information recorded for 14113 diabetic
patients registered at Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM)
during 2003. Multinomial Logistic Regression is applied to estimate the relative risk of various explanatory variables used in the model.
Younger cohort, uneducated people, rural population, people with low body mass index (BMI), people having diabetes in the family and
males are found to be associated with higher risk of developing both moderate and severe diabetes condition. An indication of early onset of
the disease is observed which is of major concern. Preventive measures should be taken immediately to address the epidemic. Otherwise,
the economic and the human cost of this disease will unbearable for a poor country like Bangladesh.