Impaired fasting glucose and cardiovascular risk factor clustering among Mongolian population in rural and animal husbandry area, Inner Mongolia, China

AimsThe aims of this study is to assess whether and to what extent there is clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in the IFG phase in the Mongolian population, China.MethodsTotal 2589 Mongolians aged 20 years or more were recruited as study subjects. Data on demographic characteristics, lifestyle risk factors, family history of hypertension, medical history and fasting plasma glucose were obtained, and relationship between clustering of cardiovascular risk factors and risk of IFG and diabetes analyzed for all individuals.ResultsThe proportions of 3 risk factors clustering were higher in diabetes than in IFG, and higher in IFG than in normal FPG (both P < 0.01). After adjustment for age and sex, both IFG and diabetes were associated with mutually clustering of 6 risk factors; odds ratio (OR) of IFG associated with 1, 2 and ≥3 factors was 1.43 (1.02, 1.99), 2.22 (1.58, 3.12) and 4.49 (3.24, 6.22), respectively, and OR of diabetes associated with 1, 2 and ≥3 factors was 2.01 (0.70, 5.76), 5.47 (2.03, 14.71) and 14.30 (5.55, 36.83), respectively.ConclusionsThere was clustering of risk factors in the phase of IFG among Mongolian people, so intervention measures should be taken to prevent diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases among the individuals with IFG.