Trends in the Incidence of Hospitalization for Major Diabetes-Related Complications in People With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Australia, 2010–2019

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To determine trends in the incidence of major diabetes-related complications in Australia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This study included 70,885 people with type 1 and 1,089,270 people with type 2 diabetes registered on the Australian diabetes registry followed from July 2010 to June 2019. Outcomes (hospitalization for myocardial infarction [MI], stroke, heart failure [HF], lower-extremity amputation [LEA], hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemia) were obtained via linkage to hospital admissions databases. Trends over time in the age-adjusted incidence of hospitalizations were analyzed using joinpoint regression and summarized as annual percent changes (APCs). RESULTS In type 1 diabetes, the incidence of all complications remained stable, except for stroke, which increased from 2010–2011 to 2018–2019 (financial years; APC: +2.5% [95% CI 0.1, 4.8]), and hyperglycemia, which increased from 2010–2011 to 2016–2017 (APC: +2.7% [1.0, 4.5]). In type 2 diabetes, the incidence of stroke remained stable, while the incidence of MI decreased from 2012–2013 to 2018–2019 (APC: −1.7% [95% CI −2.8, −0.5]), as did the incidence of HF and hypoglycemia from 2010–2011 to 2018–2019 (APCs: −0.8% [−1.5, 0.0] and −5.3% [−6.7, −3.9], respectively); the incidence of LEA and hyperglycemia increased (APCs: +3.1% [1.9, 4.4], and +7.4% [5.9, 9.0]). Most trends were consistent by sex, but differed by age; in type 2 diabetes most improvements were confined to individuals aged ≥60 years. CONCLUSIONS Trends in admissions for diabetes-related complications were largely stable in type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, hospitalization rates for MI, HF, and hypoglycemia fell over time, while increasing for LEA and hyperglycemia.