Endocrinol Metab.  2020 Sep;35(3):552-561. 10.3803/EnM.2020.653.

The Prevalence and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Adults with Disabilities in Korea

• Jung I
• Kwon H
• Park SE
• Han KD
• Park YG
• Rhee EJ
• Lee WY

• KMID: 2508004
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2020.653

Abstract

Background
People with disabilities are at risk of secondary conditions such as diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and risk of type 2 diabetes in South Korea, especially among people with all types of disabilities.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service, with two disabilityfree controls matched for each participant with disabilities by age and sex. Information regarding the type, severity and grade of disabilities was obtained based on the National Disability Registry. Diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was defined according to the following criteria: presence of International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes E11, E12, E13, or E14 and claims for at least one oral anti-diabetic agent or insulin at baseline, or fasting glucose level ≥126 mg/dL.
Results
We included 1,297,806 participants with disabilities and 2,943,719 control. Out of 4,241,525 participants, 841,990 (19.9%) were diagnosed with diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes was higher in the disability group compared with individuals without disabilities (23.1% vs. 18.4%). The odds of having diabetes was higher in the disability group compared with the control group (adjusted odds ratio, 1.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.33 to 1.34). The results showed higher prevalence of diabetes in the mildly disabled group (23.2%) than in the severely disabled group (22.7%).
Conclusion
The prevalence and risk of diabetes were higher in people with disabilities compared with the general population. Physicians and public health authorities should focus on people with disabilities for proper diabetes management.

Keyword

Diabetes mellitus; Prevalence; Epidemiology

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Odds ratio of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) according to status of disabilities. OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.

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