1360-P: Racial Disparities in Selected Complications and Comorbidities among People with Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction & Objective: T2DM is a growing public health concern differentially impacting racial and ethnic minorities. To achieve the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Diabetes Translation goal to reduce disparities in diabetes outcomes, assessing disparities is the first step in designing plans to address them.

Methods: We analyzed data from patients (18 years+) diagnosed with T2DM between 01/01/2012 and 03/31/2017 using electronic records of a single health system. We employed Chi-Square to compare selected micro and macro-vascular complication age-standardized rates, associated obesity, and insulin dependence among racial and ethnic groups.

Results: Our sample included 20,680 patients who made 394,106 visits (9,922 non-Hispanic Whites, 4,698 non-Hispanic Blacks, and 6,060 Hispanics). Our results suggest a higher risk of acquiring selected macrovascular (hypertension, ischemic disease, and stroke) and microvascular (renal, ophthalmic, and neurological) complications in Blacks compared to non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics (p<0.0001). Rates of stage I or II obesity were 62.6% in Blacks, 59.7% in Whites, and 60.0% in Hispanics (p<0.0007 and p=0.0051 for Blacks vs. Whites and Blacks vs. Hispanics; respectively). Rates of insulin use rather than oral hypoglycemics were 52.9% in Blacks, 48.6% in Whites, and 49.7% in Hispanics (p<0.0001 and p=0.0012 for Blacks vs. Whites and Blacks vs. Hispanics; respectively).

Conclusion: Our study suggests a higher susceptibility to complications among Black patients. These disparities are possibly linked to the socioeconomic disadvantages of this patient population leading to poorer management. Prevention strategies are warranted to reduce the incidence of T2DM complications in racial minorities.