Annual incidence of diabetes Mellitus in Portugal: results of sentinel practice network from 1992 to 1999

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the annual incidence rates and number of new cases of diabetes mellitus (DM), by age group and gender, in the Portuguese population. To assess diagnostic context, hospital admittance for suspicion of DM, and type of DM (insulin dependent or non insulin dependent). Type of study: Study of incidence rates. Setting: Health centres with member doctors of the Sentinel Network. Population: Patients from the rosters of general practitioners who were part of the Sentinel Doctors Network from 1992 through 1999. Methods: About 200 sentinel doctors in health centres from all over the country volunteered to report on a weekly basis all new cases of DM in patients from their rosters, from 1992 through 1999. All data were sent in paper format to the General Health Directorate Epidemiology Division. Results and Conclusions: The annual incidence rate of DM in Portugal was estimated at 270.3/105 , for the 1992-1999 period. The estimated number of new cases per annum was 26,810, of which 643 were insulin dependent. No differences in incidence were found between males and females, although the rate for males did show a growing trend in the period under study. Hospital admittance for a suspicion of de novo DM occurred more frequently among insulin-dependent patients than in non-insulin-dependent diabetics.