RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To determine whether in the Mexican population the spouses of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) have an increased risk of any degree of glucose intolerance compared with spouses of subjects without diabetes. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: An analytical cross-sectional study was made in the Family Medicine Unit number 62 of the Mexican Institute of Social Security, located in the State of México. A random sample of 87 spouses of patients with DM2 (group ED) was compared with 87 spouses of subjects with a normal glucose tolerance (group ENOD). Risk factors for DM2 were investigated; spouses in both groups underwent oral glucose tolerance test, and total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, body mass index and waist circumference were measured. The frequency of impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance and DM2 were compared in both groups and the odds ratio was calculated. RESULTS: In the group ED there were 38 (43.7%) subjects with any degree of glucose intolerance vs. 23 (26.4%) in the ENOD group -odds ratio = 2.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.14-4.08) in the bivariate analysis, and odds ratio = 2.37 (95% confidence interval, 1.14-4.91) in the logistic regression-. In the group ED a higher systolic blood pressure was observed (P=.02). There were no significant differences in age, sex, body mass index, waist circumference, total cholesterol, triglycerides and diastolic blood pressure. The frequency of risk factors for diabetes was similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: In the Mexican population, the spouses of subjects with DM2 have a higher risk of any alteration in the glucose tolerance than spouses of subjects with a normal glucose metabolism.