Self-reported diabetes prevalence in Brazil: results from National Health Survey 2013

Objective: to estimate the prevalence of self-reported diabetes in Brazil, describing it according to sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: this was a descriptive study of prevalence of medically diagnosed diabetes in adults (aged ≥18 years), using National Health Survey data, a household survey conducted in Brazil in 2013. Results: 62,202 subjects were interviewed; reported disease prevalence was 6.2% (95%CI 5.9-6.6). It was greater in women (7.0%; 95%CI 6.57.5) than men (5.4%; 95%CI 4.8-5.9) and among people living in urban areas (6.5%; 95%CI 6.1-6.9) rather than rural areas (4.6%; 95%CI 4.0-5.2). Some nine million people are estimated to have diabetes in Brazil, around 3.5 million of whom are aged 65 years or more. Conclusion: the results from National Health Survey were consistent with other research conducted, and show an elevated number of people diagnosed as having diabetes, especially in urban areas.