some of the time, were reported by 77.8% of the affected population and by 47.9% of the unaffected population. Data have also been obtained on levels of plasma cholesterol, tri- glycerides, and uric acid. Zimmet et al. (77) reported a high prevalence of elevated uric acid levels and gout in the Micronesian inhabitants of Nauru, and such a pattern has also been reported for Polynesians (79). In the Nauru population 64% of men and 60% of women aged >20 had elevated serum uric acid Jevels (>7 mg% in men and 6 mg4 in women). In the 1974 survey of the Marshall Islands, of 347 individuals tested, 23.1% had uric acid levels >7 mgt. Elevated triglycerides, >200 mg%, were found in 4.8% of all subjects examined, hut none of the people tested had cholesterol values >300 mg%. Relationships among the various measurements (fasting blood sugar, 2-hr post-prandial blood sugar, serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, uric acid values, and diastolic and systolic blood pressures) were studied, with correc- tions for the confounding effects of sex, age, and obesity (as measured by the ponderal index wt/ht2}. As expected, significant partial correlations were observed between systolic and diastolic blood pressures, between cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and between the two measures of blood glucose. Additionally, triglyceride level was significantly correlated with both measures of blood glucose, with uric acid level, and with diastolic blood pressure. Uric acid levels showed additional significant partial correlations with both cholesterol level and the two measures of blood pressure. All other comparisons were not significant when the effects of age, sex, and obesity were accounted for. Thus, preliminary evaluation of the data collected during the diabetes survey of 1974 suggests a very high incidence of diabetes mellitus in the population of the Marshall Islands, which, although perhaps not as high as that observed in some Micronesian populations (77), is consistent with the general pattern seen in several Pacific populations (75-80). The diabetes of the Marshall Islands is primarily of the adult-onset type, probably associated with obesity, and may be less severe than similar Type II diabetes seen in Caucasians despite quite significant hyperglycemia. It does not appear to require insulin treatment to prevent ketosis. Two features of this form of diabetes deserve further study. (a) Despite the apparent excess of females over males among previously diagnosed diabetics in this population, no apparent sex difference was found in the distribution of either of the measures of blood glucose levels in the 1974 survey. (b) The involvement of complications, espe- cially diabetic retinopathy and severe peripheral vascular disorders, seems to be less marked in this population. Cardiovascular disease attributed to diabetes was not seen during the 1974 survey, but further studies would be necessary to determine the prevalence of diabetes-related macrovascular disease. The population of the Marshall Islands appears to have a high prevalence not only of abnormalities of glucose metabolism but also of elevated serum uric acid levels. Whether this is accompanied by gout, as in some other Pacific populations, also remains to be studied (78,186). Additional data collected during the 1974 survey and further investigations of the relationships among the variables reported above are currently being evaluated so that a more complete report can be prepared on the impact of diabetes on this population. It is hoped that this information will provide a better characterization of the problem of diabetes in the Marshall Islands and will serve as a basis for its treatment and management. 49 - 46 -