Prevalence of diabetes, epidemiological characteristics and vascular complications
María Paula Russo, María Florencia Grande Ratti, Mariana Andrea Burgos, Anahí A. Molaro, María Belén Bonella
Abstract
Objective:The objective of this study was to estimate prevalence of diabetes in outpatient care and to describe its epidemiological characteristics, comorbidities, and related vascular complications.Methods: This study was observational cross-sectional study which included all adults affiliated from a private insurance health plan on March 2019, at Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, from Argentina.Results: The global prevalence of diabetes resulted in 8.5% with 95% CI 8.3-8.6 (12,832 out of a total of 150,725 affiliates).The age stratum with the highest prevalence was the group between 65 and 80 years old with 15.7% (95% CI 15.3-16.1).People with diabetes had a mean age of 70 years (SD 14), 52% were women, and the most frequently associated cardiovascular risk factors were as follows: dyslipidemia (88%), arterial hypertension (74%), and obesity (55%).In relation to metabolic control, 60% had at least one glycosylated hemoglobin measured in the past year, 70% of which were less than 7%.Almost 80% have LDL measured at least once in the past 2 years, 55% of them had an LDL value equal to or less than 100 mg/dl.The macrovascular complications present in order of frequency were as follows: acute myocardial infarction (11%), cerebrovascular accident (8%), and peripheral vascular disease (4%), while the microvascular complications were found to be diabetic neuropathy (4%) and retinopathy (2%).About 7% had diabetic foot, with less than 1% amputations.Conclusion: Diabetes represents a prevalent problem, even in elderly patients.This population continues to present a high cardiovascular risk, with little compliance with therapeutic goals.