Background: According to 2013 International Diabetes Federation Atlas, there are 1.9 million diabetes cases of 20-79 years age and 34,262 diabetes related deaths in Ethiopia. Of which 1.2 million of them are in the rural setting.  More than 1 million of these people are living with undiagnosed diabetes mellitus. The number of people with diabetes is increasing in every region of Ethiopia.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus, impaired fasting glucose and associated risk factors in the population of Koladiba town of Dembia, Northwest Ethiopia

Methodology: A community based cross-sectional survey was performed using a multistage cluster random sampling strategy on 392 adults aged 20 years and above from February. After getting informed written consent, each participant was questioned for socio-demographic characteristics and associated risk factors. The levels of glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides were measured using enzymatic colorimetric assay using Mindray BS-200 chemistry analyzer. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16. Possible risk factors were assessed using logistic regression. P-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results: A total of 392 (173 males and 219 females) individuals were participated in this study. The prevalence of undiagnosed DM, using the ADA fasting criteria, was 2.3% (4.62% in males and 0.46%. in females). The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose was 12% (13.29% in males and 10.95% in females). BMI (overweight (AOR = 4.817, 95% CI = 1.463-15.857, obesity (AOR = 5.825, 95% CI = (1.239-27.385)), high TG level (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI = 1.407-5.379) and systolic blood pressure (AOR = 3.634, 95% CI = 1.513-8.727) were significantly associated with impaired fasting glucose.

Conclusion: The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (12%) and newly diagnosed DM (2.3%) in Koladiba town of Dembia district was high. This result indicates a need for greater emphasis on the early detection (screening) and timely intervention in order to effectively control the diabetes epidemics.

Key words: Impaired fasting glucose, undiagnosed DM, Koladiba