Diabetes mellitus and its complications are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in human. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and prediabetes among adults older than 20 years in Ilam province. Patients and Methods: This cross sectional-descriptive study was carried out on 3915 subjects aged older than 20 years. The sampling was done by census. Fasting blood glucose and two hours post prandial glucose level after administration of 75 g

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... oral glucose were measured. American Dietic Association criteria were used for diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and prediabetes. Results: The prevalence of diabetes was 7.04% (4.52% women, 2.52% men) and the prevalence of prediabetes was 8.58% (5.59% women, 2.98% men). The highest prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes were observed on sixth and fifth decades, respectively. Approximately two percent of population, mostly men, were unaware of their pre-existing diabetes. Conclusions: Because of increasing prevalence of prediabetes at earlier age, it seems necessary to reconsider the screening age in urban areas and perform the screening in all adults at younger ages.