Patterns in the prevalence of diabetes and incidence of diabetic complications in people with and without an intellectual disability in Dutch primary care: Insights from a population-based data-linkage study

Maarten Cuypers; Martijn Leijssen; Esther J Bakker-van Gijssel; Katrien P M Pouls; Mathilde M Mastebroek; Jenneken Naaldenberg; Geraline L Leusink

doi:10.1016/j.pcd.2020.11.012

Patterns in the prevalence of diabetes and incidence of diabetic complications in people with and without an intellectual disability in Dutch primary care: Insights from a population-based data-linkage study

Prim Care Diabetes. 2021 Apr;15(2):372-377. doi: 10.1016/j.pcd.2020.11.012. Epub 2020 Dec 13.

Authors

Maarten Cuypers¹, Martijn Leijssen², Esther J Bakker-van Gijssel², Katrien P M Pouls², Mathilde M Mastebroek², Jenneken Naaldenberg², Geraline L Leusink²

Affiliations

¹ Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

PMID: 33323353
DOI: 10.1016/j.pcd.2020.11.012

Abstract

Aims: To conduct an epidemiological analysis of patterns observed in diabetes care provided to individuals with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) in primary care settings.

Methods: An ID-cohort (N = 21,203) was compared with a control group of similar age and sex from the general Dutch population (N = 267,628). Distinctive data for diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) and related complications were retrieved from national databases.

Results: The prevalence of diabetes was higher in people with ID than in the general population (9.9% versus 6.6%). Largest differences were seen in younger age groups. Women with ID had diabetes more often than men with ID. Complications were less common in people with ID than in the general population (IR 58.6 vs. 70.4). In particular, cardiological complications were noted less, while surgical interventions and hospitalization occurred more often.

Conclusions: Although diabetes was 1.5 times more prevalent in people with ID than in other people, related complications were less common, followed different patterns and were more severe than in the general population. Future research is needed to understand of the underlying causal mechanisms and to lower the risk of severe diabetic complications among people with ID.

Keywords: Complications; Diabetes; Intellectual disability; Population-based; Prevalence; Primary care.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Diabetes Complications*
Diabetes Mellitus* / diagnosis
Diabetes Mellitus* / epidemiology
Diabetes Mellitus* / therapy
Female
Humans
Incidence
Intellectual Disability* / diagnosis
Intellectual Disability* / epidemiology
Intellectual Disability* / therapy
Male
Prevalence
Primary Health Care
Registries