Prevalence of Prediabetes and its Associated Factors among Patients in the Northern Part of Afghanistan

Introduction: Prediabetes is associated with an increased risk of diabetes. However, there is currently no cohesive picture of the prevalence of prediabetes and its risk factors in Afghanistan. Therefore, we conducted a study to examine the prevalence of prediabetes and its risk factors among adult outpatients in Afghanistan. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on outpatients aged 18 years or over (n=1766) from April 2023 to October 2023. The sociodemographic characteristics and clinical variables of the patients were collected through an interview-based survey. Regression analysis was used to examine the association between prediabetes and its risk factors. Results: The study included 54.6% females and 45.4% males, with a mean age of 48.9 (±10.8). The prevalence of prediabetes was 27.9%. Males were more likely to have prediabetes with increased odds (OR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.17–1.89; p <0.001) compared with females. There were higher odds of having prediabetes for overweight or obese (OR = 2.10; 95% CI 1.15-3.84; P = 0.016), smoking (OR = 7.26; 95% CI 3.00-11.05; p <0.001), hypertension (OR = 2.76; 95% CI 2.00-3.81; p <0.001), and high cholesterol levels (OR = 1.48; 95% CI 1.16-1.90; P = 0.002), compared to participants without prediabetes. Conclusion: The prevalence of prediabetes in our study was high. Risk factors that were related to prediabetes included male gender, obesity or overweight, smoking, hypertension, and high cholesterol levels. Focusing control and prevention efforts on these risk factors linked to prediabetes can significantly reduce its prevalence and mitigate future consequences.