Risk to Develop Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus according to FINDRISC tool in Guatemalan Physicians aged 40-60 years

Background: In Latin America 22.4 million people has abnormal tolerance to insulin, these ones could turn into diabetics if they do not change their lifestyles. Added to this, there are 15 million who present Diabetes Mellitus and this amount will increase to 20 million in 10 years. This epidemic behavior is caused by many factors in which stand out lifestyles, the population aging, and lack of prevention programs. Since 1994, physicians in Guatemala have demonstrated to have inadequate lifestyles in different researches, standing out sedentarism, overweight and obesity, and hypercaloric diets. Objective: To evaluate the risk of developing type 2 Diabetes Mellitus using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) in Guatemalan doctors of three medical institutions in the months of June and July 2016. Methods: Cross-sectional study, where 176 doctors were interviewed using the FINDRISC. Participant’s body mass index and abdominal circumference were measured. Results: Mean age was 50 years, 63% (110) male; 55% (96) were sedentary, more than three quarters consumed fruits and vegetables daily, 22% (38) were hypertensive, 10% (17) had a history of impaired glucose and 61% family history of diabetes (108); 47% (82) were overweight and 31% (54) had some degree of obesity. Central obesity was present in 63% (111). There was a statistically significant relationship between age and risk of type 2 diabetes (OR: 3.4 p: 0.001) as well as a relationship between physical activity and abdominal circumference (OR: 2.84, p: 0.001). Out of the total population, 80% (141) of doctors were in some degree of risk, from these, 53% with slightly elevated, 29% moderate, 16% with high and 2% very high risk. Conclusions: Eight out of ten doctors studied were at risk of developing type 2 diabetes over a period of ten years. There is a relationship between: age and risk of disease, as well as between physical activity and abdominal circumference.