Diabetes Patients, Especially Insulin Users, Face Higher Injury Hospitalization Risks, Study Finds

"In individuals with type 1 diabetes, the adjusted relative risk for any injury was 1.62. In individuals with type 2 diabetes, the relative risk was 1.65 for those taking insulin and 1.07 in those not using insulin," the researchers reported.

The study was conducted by Berhanu Elfu Feleke, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and colleagues to estimate the relative risk (RR) and excess hospitalization rate for injury in individuals with diabetes compared with the general population.

For this purpose, they obtained data from the Australian National Diabetes Services Scheme, hospitalization data sets, the National Death Index, the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and the census from 2011 to 2017.

Hospitalizations for injury were classified as including head and neck, lower-extremity, upper-extremity, abdominal and thoracic injuries, burns, or other types of injury. Poisson regression was employed to calculate the age- and sex-adjusted relative risk of hospitalization for these injuries.

The study led to the following findings:

• The total number of hospitalizations for any injury was 117,705 in people with diabetes and 3,463,173 in the general population.
• Compared with that in the general population, an elevated adjusted risk of admission was observed for any injury (RR 1.22), head and neck (1.28), lower extremity (1.24), abdominal and thoracic (1.29), upper extremity (1.03), burns (1.52), and other injury (1.37).
• The adjusted RR of any injury was 1.62 in individuals with type 1 diabetes, 1.65 in those with type 2 diabetes who were taking insulin, and 1.07 in individuals with type 2 diabetes not using insulin.
• Falls were the primary cause of injury in individuals with diabetes.

"Individuals with diabetes, particularly those on insulin therapy, faced a greater risk of hospitalization for injuries compared to the general population," the researchers concluded.

Overall, this research stresses the importance of a comprehensive approach to diabetes care—one that not only targets blood sugar control but also considers the broader implications for patient safety and injury prevention. As the population of individuals living with diabetes continues to grow, addressing these risks becomes increasingly critical to improving overall health outcomes.

Reference:

Berhanu Elfu Feleke, Agus Salim, Jedidiah I. Morton, Belinda J. Gabbe, Dianna J. Magliano, Jonathan E. Shaw; Excess Risk of Injury in Individuals With Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes Compared With the General Population. Diabetes Care 25 July 2024; 47 (8): 1457–1462. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc24-0469