Immigrants from the Middle‐East have a different form of Type 2 diabetes compared with Swedish patients

Aims To compare the clinical characteristics of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) between immigrants from the Middle‐East and Swedish patients. Methods The study group included 450 consecutive patients with T2DM, 379 Swedish‐born aged 61 ± 12 years and 71 patients originally from the Middle‐East aged 50 ± 11 years from the diabetes clinic of Malmo University Hospital. Results Onset of diabetes had occurred 12 years earlier in the Middle‐East immigrants compared with the Swedish‐born patients (43 ± 10 vs. 55 ± 12 years, P < 0.001). Immigrants had lower fasting serum C‐peptide 0.7 (0.1–2.6) vs. 0.9 (0.1–4.0) nmol/l, P = 0.013], lower homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)‐β1.7 (0.1–9.1) vs. 2.7 (0.1–59.0), P = 0.010], lower HOMA‐IR 0.4 (0.02–1.19) vs. 0.4 (0.01–2.8), P = 0.005] than the Swedish group. A first‐degree family history of diabetes was reported in 61% of immigrants, compared with 47% of Swedish‐born (P = 0.022). Conclusions Immigrants from the Middle‐East have an earlier onset, stronger family history and more rapid decline of pancreatic B‐cell function than Swedish patients, suggesting that they have a different form of T2DM compared with Swedish patients.