DIABETES MELLITUS

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a growing public health burden in Nigeria, largely driven by insulin resistance. The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has emerged as a simple, reliable surrogate marker for insulin resistance, but evidence from Nigerian populations remains limited. This case–control study evaluated the TyG index in 100 adults (50 T2DM patients and 50 non- diabetic controls) recruited from healthcare facilities in Benin City. Fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, and body mass index (BMI) were measured using standard procedures, and the TyG index was calculated, compared between groups, and correlated with demographic and clinical variables. The mean TyG index was significantly higher in T2DM subjects (9.24 ± 0.06) compared with controls (8.62 ± 0.02; p < 0.001). Overall, 79% of participants were classified into moderate-to-extreme TyG risk categories, predominantly among diabetic subjects. Within the T2DM group, the TyG index correlated strongly with fasting blood glucose (r = 0.734, p < 0.001), moderately with triglycerides (r = 0.455, p = 0.001), and weakly with BMI (r = 0.218, p = 0.029). Significant positive correlations were also observed with age (r = 0.486, p < 0.001) and presence of complications (r = 0.423, p = 0.002), whereas no associations were found with sex, family history, or duration of diabetes. The study concludes that the TyG index is significantly elevated in T2DM patients in Benin City and correlates with age, glycemic status, and complications, underscoring its potential as a low-cost, clinically meaningful marker of insulin resistance and metabolic risk in resource-limited settings.

Diabetes mellitus(DM)is a disease of global public health importance associated with high morbidity and mortality (Nnachi et al., 2023). According to International Diabetes Federation report of 2015, about 415million people have DM globally with the figure projected to have
increased to 642million by 2040 or maybe even doubled by the year 2040 (Nwatu et al., 2019). The greatest increase will be in developing countries (69%) compared with developed countries (20%), withn non-communicable disease (NCDs) accounting for up to 80% of deaths among developing countries. In Botswana, the prevalence of DM among adults (20–79years) is approximately 52 per 1000 people out of which 31.6 per 1000 remain undiagnosed. Healthrelated quality of life (HRQOL) refers to the physical, psychological and social aspects of health
that are influenced by person’s experience on beliefs, expectations and perceptions (Nwatu et al., 2019).