Epidemiological studies of diabetes mellitus in Denmark: 6. Use of hospital services by insulin-treated diabetic patients

Summary The use of hospital services among insulin-treated diabetic patients was studied in a group of 1499 patients, representing >98% of all prevalent cases as of 1 July 1973 in the Funen County, Denmark, who were followed during a 81/2 year period by a record linkage with the regional computerized hospital registration system. On the prevalence date, 26% of the patients (in the age group 0–9 years: 74%) attended a diabetic outpatient clinic. The overall average admission rates for males and females were 0.46 and 0.53 per diabetes-year, respectively, and the average estimated hospital bed-day occupancy rates per diabetes-year were 7.2 and 9.6, respectively. These figures are five times higher than expected from the general population. Diabetes was not recorded as a discharge diagnosis (primary and/or secondary) in 13% of the male and 15% of the female hospital bed-day occupancy rate.     

Epidemiological studies of diabetes mellitus in Denmark: 4. Clinical characteristics of insulin-treated diabetes

Summary We report the clinical characteristics of all insulin-treated diabetic patients (783 males and 716 females) living on July 11973 in a Danish county. In 18 patients diabetes was believed to be secondary to another disease or condition. Of all patients, 43% of the males and 55% of the females were > age 50 years and 42% and 36% of males and females, respectively, had a disease duration of < 10 years. The overall proportion of patients treated permanently with insulin from diagnosis was 85% and 79% in males and females, respectively, but within the subgroup of patients with current age < 30 years these proportions were 99% and 96%, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that insulin-treated diabetes is a clinically heterogeneous group of diseases; thus, low age at onset combined with immediate and permanent insulin treatment delineate one subtype, while relatively high age at onset and late start and/or interruption of insulin treatment delineate other subtype(s). It is estimated that the proportion of patients with truly Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes is > 50% in this cross-sectional population of insulin-treated patients.     

老年糖尿病死亡病例分析

目的了解老年糖尿病（DM）住院患者的死亡原因及其死亡危险因素。方法以预设表格方式对哈尔滨医科大学附属第二医院老年病房1993年1月1日至2006年12月31日期间住院的老年DM死亡病例进行回顾性调查。结果①老年DM住院患者死亡86例，占全部死亡病例的20．98％，其中以心血管疾病（33．72％）、脑血管疾病（17．44％）、呼吸系统疾病（13.95％）为前3位最主要死因。②在DM与非DM组的比较中，心血管疾病、脑血管疾病、呼吸系统疾病和泌尿系统疾病较非DM组显著增多，肿瘤患者在非DM组明显增多。③DM病程对高血压、心肌梗死、糖尿病肾病（DN）、脑梗死有显著影响。结论DM是增加老年心血管疾病、脑血管疾病、呼吸系统疾病、泌尿系统疾病的发生率和死亡率的一个重要因素。DM的病程增加也大大增加了高血压、心肌梗死、DN、脑梗死的发生率，从而显著增加了老年人的死亡风险。     

Prevalence and incidence of insulin-treated diabetes mellitus in adults in Canterbury, New Zealand.

A population-based diabetes register showed a prevalence of insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (n = 1148) in Canterbury, New Zealand, of 3.3 per 1000 population at 1 January 1984. Median age was 52 years, with equal sex distribution. Eleven percent were aged 0-19 years. Prevalence was highest in those aged 50 years or more, reaching 7.6 per 1000 in the 70-79 years age group. Only 28% of cases presented with diabetes under 20 years of age. Of those diagnosed in adulthood, only 17% did not commence insulin therapy as their permanent treatment modality within 12 months post-diagnosis. Incidence of new insulin-requiring diabetic cases between 1981 and 1986 (excluding persons commencing insulin more than 12 months after diagnosis) was 12.8 per 100,000 per year. There were two incidence peaks, one in adolescence (16.9 per 100,000), the other in the older age group. Rates in the elderly peaked at 25.9 per 100,000 for males aged 60-69 years, and at 19.5 per 100,000 for females aged 70 or more years. Only 83 of the 268 new cases starting insulin within this period were 0-19 years of age. Based on prevalence surveys of diabetes mellitus in Canterbury, New Zealand, it was determined that 14.3% of all known adult diabetic people were insulin-treated.     

Frequency of cancer among insulin-treated diabetic patients in Denmark

Summary The total prevalent population of insulin-treated diabetic subjects (1499 patients) in Fyn County, Denmark, was followed for 8 1/2 years (beginning 1 July 1973). All cases of cancer diagnosed during this period were identified by a record cross-check with the Danish Cancer Registry. In total, 45 and 37 cancer cases were identified among male and female patients, respectively, corresponding with observed/expected ratios of 1.37 (p = 0.03) and 1.08 (p = 0.65), respectively. Specified for site, a significant excess of cancer of the pancreas was found (six cases observed vs 2.4 expected, p = 0.02), but the excess was reduced by excluding cases where the cancer patient had diabetes as an early sign. Overall, no indications were found of an association between diabetes and cancer, whether in general or regarding particular cancer types.     

Mortality of South Asian patients with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus in the United Kingdom: a cohort study.

AIMS: To investigate mortality in South Asian patients with insulin-treated diabetes and compare it with mortality in non South Asian patients and in the general population. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted of 828 South Asian and 27 962 non South Asian patients in the UK with insulin-treated diabetes diagnosed at ages under 50 years. The patients were followed for up to 28 years. Ethnicity was determined by analysis of names. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated, comparing mortality in the cohort with expectations from the mortality experience of the general population. RESULTS: SMRs were significantly raised in both groups of patients, particularly the South Asians, and especially in women and subjects with diabetes onset at a young age. The SMRs for South Asian patients diagnosed under age 30 years were 3.9 (95% CI 2.0-6.9) in men and 10.1 (5.6-16.6) in women, and in the corresponding non South Asians were 2.7 (2.6-2.9) and 4.0 (3.6-4.3), respectively. The SMR in women was highly significantly greater in South Asians than non South Asians. The mortality in the young-onset patients was due to several causes, while that in the patients diagnosed at ages 30-49 was largely due to cardiovascular disease, which accounted for 70% of deaths in South Asian males and 73% in females. CONCLUSIONS: South Asian patients with insulin-treated diabetes suffer an exceptionally high mortality. Clarification of the full reasons for this mortality are needed, as are measures to reduce levels of known cardiovascular disease risk factors in these patients.     

Unawareness of hypoglycaemia in insulin-treated diabetic patients: prevalence and relationship to autonomic neuropathy

Three-hundred and two insulin-treated diabetic patients were questioned about hypoglycaemia using a structured questionnaire interview. Two-hundred and twenty-six patients (75%) had normal symptomatic awareness, 48 (16%) had partial awareness, 21 (7%) had absent awareness of hypoglycaemia, and 7 (2%) denied ever experiencing hypoglycaemia. Patients with complete loss of awareness of hypoglycaemia had diabetes of longer duration; none had a HbA1 concentration within the non-diabetic range. Loss of awareness of hypoglycaemia was associated with an increased incidence of severe hypoglycaemia, 19 (91%) of the patients with absent awareness, and 33 (69%) with partial awareness of hypoglycaemia experiencing severe hypoglycaemia over 1 year compared with only 41 (18%) of patients with normal awareness of hypoglycaemia (p less than 0.001). Cardiovascular autonomic function tests were performed in 226 (75% of the whole group). Of the patients who had diabetes for more than 15 years, 54% (n = 39) with normal awareness of hypoglycaemia, compared with 59% (n = 10) with absent awareness of hypoglycaemia, had evidence of cardiovascular autonomic impairment (NS). Seven (41%) of the 17 patients with absent awareness of hypoglycaemia and diabetes of greater than 15 years duration had no evidence of autonomic dysfunction. Loss of hypoglycaemia awareness is a common problem in patients with insulin-treated diabetes of long duration, is associated with an increased incidence of severe hypoglycaemia, but is not invariably associated with abnormal cardiovascular autonomic function tests.     

Relative mortality of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes in Denmark: 1933–1981

Summary The relative mortality of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes in Denmark during the period 1933–1981 was studied using a modification of Cox's regression model on the basis of two patient populations, ascertained in different ways and independently of each other. Initial analysis showed that the two groups could be combined completely into one common analysis. Relative mortality was the same for both sexes. The additional variables studied were age at diagnosis, current age, calendar year at diagnosis and calendar time during follow-up. All these interrelated variables were accounted for in the analysis. The analysis showed that relative mortality (a) decreased with increasing age at diagnosis; (b) increased from 1933 to a maximum in about 1965, after which it decreased; (c) increased with increased duration of diabetes to a maximum at 15–25 years, after which it declined.     

The British Diabetic Association Cohort Study, I: all-cause mortality in patients with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: To assess mortality in patients with diabetes incident under the age of 30 years. METHODS: A cohort of 23 752 diabetic patients diagnosed under the age of 30 years from throughout the United Kingdom was identified during 1972-93 and followed up to February 1997. Following notification of deaths during this period, age- and sex-specific mortality rates, attributable risks and standardized mortality rates were calculated. RESULTS: The 23 752 patients contributed a total of 317 522 person-years of follow-up, an average of 13.4 years per subject. During follow-up 949 deaths occurred in patients between the ages of 1 and 84 years, 566 in males and 383 in females. All-cause mortality rates in the patients with diabetes exceeded those in the general population at all ages and within the cohort were higher for males than females at all ages except between 5 and 15 years. The relative risk of death (standardized mortality ratio, SMR), was higher for females than males at all ages, being 4.0 (95% CI 3.6-4.4) for females and 2.7 (2.5-2.9) for males overall, but reaching a peak of 5.7 (4.7-7.0) in females aged 20-29, and of 4.0 (3.1-5.0) in males aged 40-49. Attributable risks, or the excess deaths in persons with diabetes compared with the general population, increased with age in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study from the UK of young patients diagnosed with diabetes that is large enough to calculate detailed age-specific mortality rates. This study provides a baseline for further studies of mortality and change in mortality within the United Kingdom.     

Mortality and causes of death in children with sickle cell disease in the Netherlands, before the introduction of neonatal screening

This study analyzed the mortality and causes of death in sickle cell disease patients in the Netherlands, to provide a baseline for monitoring the effect of the recently introduced neonatal screening programme and to indicate areas of improvement in the care for these patients. All children (<18 years) diagnosed with sickle cell disease in a tertiary hospital from 1985 to 2007 were included. Vital status was determined up to March 2008. A total of 298 children were included: 189 (63%) patients had HbSS, 17 (6%) HbSβ(0) thalassaemia, 72 (24%) HbSC and 20 (7%) HbSβ(+) thalassaemia. Twelve patients (4%) died during a total follow-up of 3896 patient years. All known deaths were sickle cell disease-related. Meningitis/sepsis (n=4; 33%), stroke (n=3; 25%) and death during a visit to the country of origin (n=3; 25%) were the most common causes of death. The overall mortality rate was 0·27 deaths/100 patient years [95% confidence interval (CI): 0·15-0·43]. The estimated survival at the age of 18 years was 97·3% (95% CI: 95-99%). This report confirms that the burden of mortality in sickle cell disease is increasingly shifting to adults. It is recommended that compliance to antibiotic prophylaxis, thorough counselling and support for patients travelling abroad and specialized peri-operative care should receive continuous attention.     

The British Diabetic Association Cohort Study, II: cause-specific mortality in patients with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: To measure cause-specific mortality, by age, in patients with insulin-treated diabetes incident at a young age. METHODS: A cohort of 23 752 patients with insulin-treated diabetes diagnosed under the age of 30 years, from throughout the United Kingdom, was identified during 1972-93 and followed to February 1997. Death certificates have been obtained for deaths during the follow-up period and cause-specific mortality rates and standardized mortality ratios by age and sex are reported. RESULTS: During the follow-up period 949 deaths occurred and at all ages mortality rates were considerably higher than in the general population. Acute metabolic complications of diabetes were the greatest single cause of excess death under the age of 30 years. Cardiovascular disease was responsible for the greatest proportion of the deaths from the age of 30 years onwards. CONCLUSIONS: Deaths in patients with diabetes diagnosed under the age of 30 have been reported and comparisons drawn with mortality in the general population. To reduce these deaths attention must be paid both to the prevention of acute metabolic deaths and the early detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors.     

Mortality of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in Denmark: A study of relative mortality in 2930 Danish type 1 diabetic patients diagnosed from 1933 to 1972

Summary This study included 2930 (1642 male, 1288 female) Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients diagnosed before the age of 31 years and between 1933 to 1972. The patients were followed from first admission to Steno Memorial Hospital until death, emigration, or until 1 January 1983. Relative mortality was studied, and the influence of calendar year of diagnosis, diabetes duration, age at diagnosis, current age and sex were studied. Relative mortality decreased continuously during the period, and patients diagnosed after 1956 had a relative mortality 30–40% lower than patients diagnosed from 1933 to 1946. Relative mortality increased with increasing diabetes duration until about 20 years of duration, after which it declined. It also increased with increasing age until 31–40 years. It decreased with increasing age at diabetes onset. Factors like calendar year of diabetes onset, age at diagnosis, current age and sex had no influence on relative mortality within the first 15 years of duration, although the relative mortality increased with diabetes duration. In the interval of 16 to 40 years of diabetes duration, the relative mortality decreased with increasing calendar year of diagnosis and age at diagnosis. In patients with a diabetes duration of more than 40 years, the relative mortality decreased with increasing age and diabetes duration. These results show that the prognosis of Type 1 diabetic patients has improved considerably during the last 40 years. Furthermore, they show that diabetes duration is the most important determinant of relative mortality.     

Mortality in Israeli Jewish patients with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus diagnosed prior to 18 years of age: a population based study

Summary A total of 614 Jewish patients under the age of 18 with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus, diagnosed in Israel during the period 1 January 1965 to 31 December 1979, were identified by exhaustive screening of all possible sources. Mortality experience of this cohort was updated to 31 March 1988 through the Central Population Registry and 14 deaths were identified. The ascertainment rate for diagnosed cases as well as for deaths is estimated at about 95%. There was a significantly higher (p<0.001) by 3.2-fold excess mortality relative to the age and sex-adjusted mortality as expected the general Jewish population in Israel. This excess was due to three cause-of-death categories: diabetic ketoacidosis (n = 3; p<0.001), cardiovascular diseases (n – 3; p<0.001) and infections (n = 2; p = 0.03). The rate of malignancies (n = 2), external causes (n = 3) and other general causes (n = 1) did not differ significantly from that expected. During the first 15 years of the disease cumulative mortality resembled that of the general population, with a subsequent steep increase so that by 20 years disease duration, the rate was four-fold higher than expected. This mortality pattern was similar irrespective of age at onset, sex and ethnic group (Ashkenazi vs non-Ashkenazi Jews). A factor contributing to the lack of increase in mortality rate in the first 15 years of Type 1 diabetes may be the comprehensive multidisciplinary treatment approach employed for most juvenile diabetic patients in Israel leading to early referral and an overall better metabolic control.The study was supported by a grant from the NIH — National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, No. 5 RO1 DK3905-04.     

老年糖尿病住院患者心血管死亡原因分析

目的了解老年糖尿病住院患者的心血管疾病死亡原因及其死亡危险因素.方法以预设表格方式对解放军总医院1995年1月1日至2002年12月31日期间住院的老年死亡病例进行回顾性调查.结果 (1)8年间老年糖尿病患者死于心血管疾病(3.2%)是老年非糖尿病患者(1.4%)的2.3倍.(2)糖尿病组不同年龄段心血管疾病的死亡构成比没有显著性差异;糖尿病病程对心血管死亡构成比的影响不显著.(3)糖尿病合并高血压或合并血脂紊乱者均显著增加心血管疾病死亡构成比;如同时合并高血压和血脂紊乱,与无此三种疾病者比较心血管疾病死亡构成比将增加3倍.结论高血压、血脂紊乱是增加糖尿病患者心血管疾病死亡的危险因素.     

Mortality in rheumatoid arthritis patients with disease onset in the 1980s

OBJECTIVE: Several previous studies have shown increased mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. This study investigated if this was true also for patients with disease onset in the 1980s. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study group comprised 183 patients (67 men and 116 women) with definite RA participating in an ongoing prospective study. Mean age at onset of disease was 51 years, and mean duration of joint symptoms at inclusion was 11 months. The patients were included between 1985-89. Seventy five per cent of the patients were rheumatoid factor (RF) positive, 85% carried the shared epitope, and 90% became erosive. By 1 September 1997 the number and causes of death, obtained from the death certificates, were recorded. Standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated, comparing the observed number of deaths in the cohort with the expected number of deaths in the general population in the same area, age and sex matched. The predictive values of demographics, genotype, RF status, and clinical data at baseline were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (11 men and 7 women) had died compared with 20 expected deaths. SMR with 95% confidence intervals was 87 (53, 136). There was no significant increase in the number of deaths at any time during follow up for either sex. RA was not the main cause of death in any of the cases. By reading the patient charts two cases were found where RA or its treatment could have contributed to death. No RA related variable contributed significantly to an increased risk of death. CONCLUSION: There was no increased mortality during the first 8-13 years of disease in this group of patients who developed RA in the 1980s.     

Survival rate and causes of death in patients with pacemakers: dependence on symptoms leading to pacemaker implantation

The survival rate of 2256 patients with pacemakers was analyzed.Patients paced for Adams-Stokes equivalents (e.g. dizziness)showed a significantly better survival rate than did patientswith pacemakers implanted for Adam-Stokes attacks or heart failure(P < 0.0001). The estimated survival of the latter two groupsdid not differ significantly. Of the deceased patients who hadreceived a pacemaker for the treatment of heart failure, 54%died due to this condition despite pacemaker implantation. Therelative percentage of cases of sudden death after pacemaerimplantation was high in the groups with Adams-Stokes attacks(12%) and Adams-Stokes equivalents (13%). In patients pacedfor Adams-Stokes attacks, sudden death occured more frequentlyin the first year after pacemaker implantation (P<0.015)than during the following years. Therefore, inreased effortsshould be made to monitor patients carefully after pacemakerimplantation to enable prompt detection of malignant tachyarrhythmias,probably the cause of sudden death in a substantial number ofpatients with pacemakers.     

德宏州 驻马店市报告的HIV/AIDS死亡病例的死因调查

目的了解云南省德宏州和河南省驻马店市艾滋病(HIV/AIDS)死亡原因构成。方法 2011年下半年,采用回顾性调查方法,利用定量的"艾滋病死亡原因调查表"获取调查对象相关信息。结果对2010年1月1日-2011年6月30日间云南省德宏州新报告的529死亡病例和河南省驻马店市新报告的631死亡病例进行调查,分别完成523例和627例,死亡病例接受高效抗反转录病毒治疗(HAART)的比例分别为28.7%和67.8%;艾滋病相关死亡病例所占比例分别为65.4%(342/523)和71.0%(445/627),艾滋病无关死亡病例所占比例分别为34.6%(181/523)和29.0%(182/627)。结论德宏州和驻马店市的艾滋病死亡病例的主要死因为艾滋病相关疾病。     

Mortality and recurrences during eight years following stroke.

A total of 388 patients, of mean age 73 years, with acute cerebrovascular disease (CVD) evaluated in a non-intensive Stroke Unit, and a sample of 209 age- and sex-matched similarly acutely admitted patients with surgical diseases were followed up for 5-8 years. The CVD patients had a 21-day hospital mortality of 13%, and 66% mortality during the entire study period, compared to 2% and 48%, respectively, in controls. Old age had only a minor effect on the initial mortality. However, long-term mortality increased markedly with age. The initial mortality in 120 stroke recurrences was 50%. In CVD patients heart diseases were common causes of death, and circulatory diseases were most predominant of all (86%), with an accumulation during the first months after the occurrence of the initial CVD event. These figures clearly show that stroke patients constitute a group with high risk of stroke recurrence and death. Despite declining figures for stroke mortality, and most probably also for case fatality rate after first stroke episodes, much work remains to be done within the field of secondary prevention after stroke.