Prevalence of comorbidities and their associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes at a tertiary care department in Ningbo, China: a cross-sectional study

Li, Xueyu; Chattopadhyay, Kaushik; Xu, Shengnan; Chen, Yanshu; Xu, Miao; Li, Li; Li, Jialin

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of comorbidities in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and identify the factors independently associated with comorbidities in a tertiary care department in Ningbo, China.

Design: A computerised medical records database was used to conduct a cross-sectional study.
Setting The study was conducted in a tertiary care department in Ningbo, China.

Participants: The study was conducted on adult patients with T2DM, and it included eight years of data, from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2019.

The primary outcome measure: Comorbidity was defined as the co-existence of at least one other chronic condition, i.e., either a physical non-communicable disease (duration ≥3 months), a mental health condition (duration ≥3 months), or an infectious disease (duration ≥3 months).

Results: In total, 4777 patients with T2DM satisfied the eligibility criteria. Over eight years, the prevalence of comorbidities was 93.7%. The odds of comorbidities increased with the age of patients (18–39 years: 1; 40–59 years: odds ratio 2.80, 95% confidence interval 1.98–3.96; 60–69 years: 4.43, 3.04–6.44; and ≥70 years: 10.97, 7.17–16.77). The odds were lower in female patients (0.66, 0.51–0.84), patients residing in rural areas (0.75, 0.59–0.95), and patients without health insurance (0.62, 0.46–0.83). The odds were higher in single/divorced/widowed patients compared to those in married patients (1.95, 1.21–3.12).

Conclusions: A large percentage of patients with T2DM in the tertiary care department in Ningbo, China, had comorbidities, and the factors associated with comorbidities were identified. The findings could be used in developing, evaluating, and implementing interventions aimed at improving outcomes in patients with T2DM with comorbidities.

Citation

Li, X., Chattopadhyay, K., Xu, S., Chen, Y., Xu, M., Li, L., & Li, J. (2021). Prevalence of comorbidities and their associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes at a tertiary care department in Ningbo, China: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 11(1), Article e040532. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040532

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 2, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jan 7, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-01
• Deposit Date: Dec 4, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 11, 2021
• Journal: BMJ Open
• Electronic ISSN: 2044-6055
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: e040532
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040532
• Keywords: General Medicine
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5099340
• Publisher URL: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/1/e040532.info