Prevalence of chronic complications of type 1 diabetes at the Townsville Hospital: a retrospective review

Background/Aims: Macro- and microvascular complications of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Yet no study has been established that analyses the magnitude of these long-term complications in our region. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of chronic complications of DM1 in Townsville health district. Methods: Hospital-based cross sectional study was retrospectively conducted on all DM1 patients attending diabetes clinic at the Townsville Hospital from 1st February 2013 to 31st March 2014. Prevalence and risk factors of microvascular (nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy) and macrovascular (cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular diseases) complications were determined from the clinical and biochemical profiles of the patients. Results: We identified a 38% prevalence of long-term DM1 complications in 153 subjects, with microvascular and macrovascular being present in 27% and 11% respectively. The major risk factors of long-term DM1 complications in the study population were age group of 40 to 79 years old (RR 4.18 [95% CI 2.25-7.76] p<0.0001), duration of diabetes >30 years (RR 2.29 [95% CI 1.27-4.1] p=0.0057), glycaemic control (HbA1c) of more than 7% (RR 12.50 [95% CI 4.63-33.74] p<0.0001). Other variables were tested but fell short of statistical significance. Conclusion: We report high prevalence of DM1 complications. Subjects who have any of the following criteria are at risk of developing the complications: older age group, long duration of DM1 and poor glycaemic control. Further prospective analysis on a larger population is needed to confirm our findings.

Annals of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine Inc

Annals of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine

15

1448-4706

N/A

3

1