Prevalence, vascular complications, and level of health care treatment in individuals with type 2 and type 1 diabetes mellitus

The total prevalence of diabetes and vascular complications is increasing. Consequently, it is important to provide diabetes treatment according to the National clinical guideline for the management of diabetes and allocate individuals to the right level of health care in line with the National guideline for prioritization in specialist health care – Endocrinology and endocrine surgery. We used data from the Rogaland-Oslo-Salten-Akershus-Hordaland study (ROSA 4) and The Norwegian Diabetes Register for Adults to study the prevalence of diagnosed type 2 and type 1 diabetes and the status of diabetes treatment in Salten, Norway. Moreover, we studied the association between education level and vascular complications in individuals with type 2 diabetes born in Norway. The results showed that the total diabetes prevalence in Salten in all age groups was 3.8%. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 3.4%, and the prevalence of type 1 diabetes was 0.45%. Coronary heart disease was more prevalent in individuals with type 2 diabetes than in those with type 1 diabetes (23.1% vs 15.8%). The HbA1c treatment target of ≤ 53 mmol/mol (≤ 7.0%) was reached by 61.1% of individuals with type 2 diabetes and 22.5% of individuals with type 1 diabetes, and by 67.3% and 30.4% of individuals with type 2 diabetes treated in primary care and specialist/shared care, respectively. In individuals with type 2 diabetes, higher HbA1c levels, insulin-use, coronary heart disease, retinopathy, and general practitioners’ urban location were positively associated with treatment in specialist care. Higher education was associated with lower odds for coronary heart disease and chronic kidney disease compared to compulsory education in individuals with type 2 diabetes born in Norway