Demographic and clinical characteristics of veterans treated for diabetes
| Characteristic . | Total (N = 429,918) . | Caucasian (n = 241,548; 56.2%) . | African American (n = 65,985; 15.3%) . | Hispanic (n = 26,544; 6.2%) . | Asian (n = 2,046; 0.5%) . | Native American (n = 1,747; 0.4%) . | Race unknown (n = 92,048; 21.4%) . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 64.1 ± 11.4 | 65.3 ± 10.9 | 6.3 ± 12.4† | 63.7 ± 11.1† | 63.0 ± 11.6* | 60.3 ± 11.6* | 63.4 ± 11.7* |
| Age category (years) | |||||||
| <40 | 26,628 (6.2) | 10,648 (4.4) | 7,248 (11.0)† | 1,614 (6.1) | 168 (8.2)* | 141 (8.1)* | 6,809 (7.4)* |
| 40–64 | 165,624 (38.5) | 87,891 (36.6) | 28,366 (43.0) | 10,726 (40.4) | 869 (42.5) | 919 (52.6) | 36,853 (40.0) |
| 65–74 | 154,498 (35.9) | 91,440 (37.9) | 20,372 (30.9) | 9,727 (36.6) | 586 (28.6) | 470 (26.9) | 31,903 (34.7) |
| 75+ | 83,168 (19.3) | 51,569 (21.3) | 9,999 (15.2) | 4,477 (16.9) | 423 (20.7) | 217 (12.4) | 16,483 (17.9) |
| Male (%) | 97.4 | 97.4 | 97.5 | 98.7† | 97.7 | 96.5* | 97.1* |
| Non-service connected | 252,946 (58.8) | 137,632 (57.0) | 40,158 (60.9)† | 16,482 (62.1)† | 722 (35.3)* | 937 (53.6)* | 57,015 (61.9)* |
| Number of service-connected disabilities | 2.3 ± 2.3 | 2.3 ± 2.3 | 2.0 ± 2.2† | 1.8 ± 2.1† | 3.3 ± 2.5* | 2.3 ± 2.3 | 2.5 ± 2.3* |
| Region (%) | |||||||
| Northeast | 21.4 | 22.6 | 22.6† | 8.0† | 6.3* | 5.6* | 21.8* |
| South | 37.9 | 35.5 | 45.0 | 60.2 | 6.4 | 26.0 | 33.8 |
| Midwest | 21.4 | 23.5 | 20.8 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 24.0 | 22.0 |
| West | 19.3 | 18.5 | 11.5 | 28.3 | 83.2 | 44.2 | 22.4 |
| Health care delivery | |||||||
| Hospitalizations (days) | 17.1 ± 98.9 | 16.9 ± 106.9 | 18.7 ± 93.0* | 15.2 ± 27.9† | 12.9 ± 25.3 | 12.9 ± 28.4 | 11.0 ± 22.3* |
| Hospitalizations (number) | 1.6 ± 1.1 | 1.6 ± 1.1 | 1.6 ± 1.1 | 1.6 ± 1.1† | 1.7 ± 1.1 | 1.7 ± 1.4 | 1.2 ± 0.6* |
| Seen by primary care | 11.5 | 57.2 (70.9) | 18.7 (67.6)† | 5.9 (79.0)† | 0.7 (75.9)* | 0.5 (74.3) | 17.1 (69.7)* |
| Total number of visits | 17.8 ± 20.3 | 19.0 ± 19.8 | 22.8 ± 27.9† | 19.0 ± 20.6 | 20.8 ± 23.4* | 20.0 ± 24.0 | 11.6 ± 11.9* |
| Eye examination | 206,179 (48.0) | 121,937 (50.5) | 33,931 (51.4)† | 11,441 (43.1)† | 1089 (53.2)* | 831 (47.6)* | 36,950 (40.1)* |
| Comorbid condition | |||||||
| Hypertension | 289,334 (67.3) | 162,512 (67.3) | 49,902 (75.6)† | 17,474 (65.8)† | 1,380 (67.4) | 1,028 (58.8)* | 57,031 (62.0)* |
| Cardiovascular disease | 174,934 (40.7) | 115,118 (47.7) | 21,518 (32.6)† | 8,756 (33.0)† | 731 (35.7)* | 606 (34.7)* | 28,202 (30.6)* |
| Stroke | 31,767 (7.4) | 20,430 (8.5) | 5,581 (8.5)† | 2,096 (7.9)† | 141 (6.9)* | 108 (6.2)* | 3,441 (3.7)* |
| Cancer | 49,546 (11.5) | 32,309 (13.4) | 8,221 (12.5)† | 2,371 (8.9)† | 164 (8.0)* | 123 (7.0)* | 6,376 (6.9)* |
| COPD | 65,201 (15.2) | 46,285 (19.2) | 8,235 (12.5)† | 2,053 (7.7)† | 186 (9.1)* | 208 (11.9)* | 8,234 (8.9)* |
| Depression | 51,388 (12.0) | 33,282 (13.8) | 7,198 (10.9)† | 3,599 (13.6) | 207 (10.1)* | 267 (15.3) | 6,835 (7.4)* |
| Renal disease | 44,671 (10.4) | 26,212 (10.8) | 9,699 (14.7)† | 2,716 (10.2)† | 263 (12.9)* | 222 (12.7)* | 4,650 (5.1)* |
| Diabetic eye disease | 37,080 (8.6) | 22,123 (9.2) | 6,364 (9.6)† | 2,060 (7.8)† | 265 (13.0)* | 181 (10.4) | 6,087 (6.6)* |
| Mortality (%) | 6.0 | 7.3 | 6.4† | 5.6† | 5.4* | 7.4 | 2.6* |
| Characteristic . | Total (N = 429,918) . | Caucasian (n = 241,548; 56.2%) . | African American (n = 65,985; 15.3%) . | Hispanic (n = 26,544; 6.2%) . | Asian (n = 2,046; 0.5%) . | Native American (n = 1,747; 0.4%) . | Race unknown (n = 92,048; 21.4%) . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 64.1 ± 11.4 | 65.3 ± 10.9 | 6.3 ± 12.4† | 63.7 ± 11.1† | 63.0 ± 11.6* | 60.3 ± 11.6* | 63.4 ± 11.7* |
| Age category (years) | |||||||
| <40 | 26,628 (6.2) | 10,648 (4.4) | 7,248 (11.0)† | 1,614 (6.1) | 168 (8.2)* | 141 (8.1)* | 6,809 (7.4)* |
| 40–64 | 165,624 (38.5) | 87,891 (36.6) | 28,366 (43.0) | 10,726 (40.4) | 869 (42.5) | 919 (52.6) | 36,853 (40.0) |
| 65–74 | 154,498 (35.9) | 91,440 (37.9) | 20,372 (30.9) | 9,727 (36.6) | 586 (28.6) | 470 (26.9) | 31,903 (34.7) |
| 75+ | 83,168 (19.3) | 51,569 (21.3) | 9,999 (15.2) | 4,477 (16.9) | 423 (20.7) | 217 (12.4) | 16,483 (17.9) |
| Male (%) | 97.4 | 97.4 | 97.5 | 98.7† | 97.7 | 96.5* | 97.1* |
| Non-service connected | 252,946 (58.8) | 137,632 (57.0) | 40,158 (60.9)† | 16,482 (62.1)† | 722 (35.3)* | 937 (53.6)* | 57,015 (61.9)* |
| Number of service-connected disabilities | 2.3 ± 2.3 | 2.3 ± 2.3 | 2.0 ± 2.2† | 1.8 ± 2.1† | 3.3 ± 2.5* | 2.3 ± 2.3 | 2.5 ± 2.3* |
| Region (%) | |||||||
| Northeast | 21.4 | 22.6 | 22.6† | 8.0† | 6.3* | 5.6* | 21.8* |
| South | 37.9 | 35.5 | 45.0 | 60.2 | 6.4 | 26.0 | 33.8 |
| Midwest | 21.4 | 23.5 | 20.8 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 24.0 | 22.0 |
| West | 19.3 | 18.5 | 11.5 | 28.3 | 83.2 | 44.2 | 22.4 |
| Health care delivery | |||||||
| Hospitalizations (days) | 17.1 ± 98.9 | 16.9 ± 106.9 | 18.7 ± 93.0* | 15.2 ± 27.9† | 12.9 ± 25.3 | 12.9 ± 28.4 | 11.0 ± 22.3* |
| Hospitalizations (number) | 1.6 ± 1.1 | 1.6 ± 1.1 | 1.6 ± 1.1 | 1.6 ± 1.1† | 1.7 ± 1.1 | 1.7 ± 1.4 | 1.2 ± 0.6* |
| Seen by primary care | 11.5 | 57.2 (70.9) | 18.7 (67.6)† | 5.9 (79.0)† | 0.7 (75.9)* | 0.5 (74.3) | 17.1 (69.7)* |
| Total number of visits | 17.8 ± 20.3 | 19.0 ± 19.8 | 22.8 ± 27.9† | 19.0 ± 20.6 | 20.8 ± 23.4* | 20.0 ± 24.0 | 11.6 ± 11.9* |
| Eye examination | 206,179 (48.0) | 121,937 (50.5) | 33,931 (51.4)† | 11,441 (43.1)† | 1089 (53.2)* | 831 (47.6)* | 36,950 (40.1)* |
| Comorbid condition | |||||||
| Hypertension | 289,334 (67.3) | 162,512 (67.3) | 49,902 (75.6)† | 17,474 (65.8)† | 1,380 (67.4) | 1,028 (58.8)* | 57,031 (62.0)* |
| Cardiovascular disease | 174,934 (40.7) | 115,118 (47.7) | 21,518 (32.6)† | 8,756 (33.0)† | 731 (35.7)* | 606 (34.7)* | 28,202 (30.6)* |
| Stroke | 31,767 (7.4) | 20,430 (8.5) | 5,581 (8.5)† | 2,096 (7.9)† | 141 (6.9)* | 108 (6.2)* | 3,441 (3.7)* |
| Cancer | 49,546 (11.5) | 32,309 (13.4) | 8,221 (12.5)† | 2,371 (8.9)† | 164 (8.0)* | 123 (7.0)* | 6,376 (6.9)* |
| COPD | 65,201 (15.2) | 46,285 (19.2) | 8,235 (12.5)† | 2,053 (7.7)† | 186 (9.1)* | 208 (11.9)* | 8,234 (8.9)* |
| Depression | 51,388 (12.0) | 33,282 (13.8) | 7,198 (10.9)† | 3,599 (13.6) | 207 (10.1)* | 267 (15.3) | 6,835 (7.4)* |
| Renal disease | 44,671 (10.4) | 26,212 (10.8) | 9,699 (14.7)† | 2,716 (10.2)† | 263 (12.9)* | 222 (12.7)* | 4,650 (5.1)* |
| Diabetic eye disease | 37,080 (8.6) | 22,123 (9.2) | 6,364 (9.6)† | 2,060 (7.8)† | 265 (13.0)* | 181 (10.4) | 6,087 (6.6)* |
| Mortality (%) | 6.0 | 7.3 | 6.4† | 5.6† | 5.4* | 7.4 | 2.6* |
Data are means ± SD or n (%).
P < 0.01;
P < 0.05 Caucasian compared with the specific minority group. Test for significance: χ2 test for categorical variables and independent Student’s t test for continuous data.