Incidence and Prevalence of Microvascular and Macrovascular Diseases and All-cause Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A 10-year Study in a US Commercially Insured and Medicare Advantage Population

Abstract

Purpose: The relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and increased microvascular and macrovascular disease and mortality is well established; however, data for the broad US T2DM population, especially by age, are limited. To help address this issue, we conducted a cohort study in a large national US commercially insured/Medicare Advantage population that incorporated a broad range of different age groups, including a large subset of younger individuals, during a 10-year study period.

Methods: This longitudinal study combined health plan claims and mortality data to identify incident T2DM patients and 1:1 directly matched non-DM controls. T2DM individuals (n = 13,883) were identified by a medical claim with a T2DM diagnosis or T2DM medication pharmacy claim in 2007; non-DM controls had no DM medical or pharmacy claims over the entire study period (January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2015). The outcomes assessed were incidence, prevalence, time to vascular disease and all-cause mortality, as well as age-stratified incidence and mortality based on Centers of Disease Control and Prevention-defined age strata.

Findings: Individuals with T2DM developed vascular disease at twice the rate as non-DM controls, 197 versus 98 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Vascular disease (composite) rates increased by age in T2DM/non-DM groups, 107.1/28.2 (18-44 years), 166.3/70.3 (45-64 years), and 391.0/199.7 (≥65 years) per 1000 person-years. The largest rate ratio was observed in younger individuals. All-cause mortality over follow-up was higher in T2DM individuals (27.5%) than in non-DM controls (19.6%). The largest increases in vascular disease prevalence and mortality among T2DM individuals were observed in the first year of follow-up.

Implications: T2DM has a substantial effect on microvascular and macrovascular disease and all-cause mortality rates in all age groups. These outcomes appear to occur early after T2DM diagnosis, and have more pronounced, nearly fourfold, relative impact on younger individuals with T2DM compared to matched non-DM controls.

Keywords: complications; macrovascular disease; microvascular disease; prevalence; time to first disease type 2 diabetes mellitus.