Aepidemiological characteristics of diabetes mellitus in Serbian communities in Kosovo and Metohija

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a serious, chronic disease considerably affecting the quality of life and well-being of the individual, family and society as a whole. The global diabetes epidemic is one of the biggest public health challenges of the 21st century. The subject of the research is the analysis of the diabetes mellitus epidemiological characteristics in Serbian communities in Kosovo and Metohija, in the period from 2010-2019. The research was designed as a retrospective, descriptive-epidemiological study in which the basic sample consisted of all the patients newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus who were registered in the health care institutions in Serbian communities in Kosovo and Metohija in the period from 1 January 2010-31 December 2019 and reported to the Kosovska Mitrovica Institute of Public Health. The total number of newly registered cases in the given period was 1250. The Kosovska Mitrovica Institute of Public Health's database of non-communicable diseases was used as a source of data on diabetes mellitus, while the applicable reporting form for this disease was used as a research tool. All statistical calculations were performed using the commercial, standard software package SPSS, version 20.0. (The Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (SPSS Inc, version 20.0, Chicago, IL)). Of the total number of people newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in the observed period from 2010 to 2019, more than four in five (87.7%) were people with type 2 diabetes, while one in eight (12.3%) had type 1 diabetes. The younger age groups and men have a considerably higher percentage of new type 1 diabetes cases, while the older age groups and women have a higher percentage of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes cases. Diabetes prevention should be implemented using a population-based approach, which includes actions targeting the society and individuals.