By Muriel LaMois and Natalie Kish
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes November as National Diabetes Month. It represents a time to increase awareness for and understanding of living with diabetes. Nationwide, nearly one out of 11 people has diabetes, and more than one-third of adults are pre-diabetic. Kaiser Permanente treats many of its members with these conditions, and researchers across the organization study diabetes-related health issues to determine how to better serve these individuals.
Stabilizing Trends in New Cases of Diabetes
Several Kaiser Permanente regions participated in a study published in January 2015 aimed at determining trends in new diabetes cases in 11 integrated health systems from 2006 through 2011. After analyzing the health records of approximately seven million newly diagnosed diabetic patients aged 20 and older, researchers found no statistically significant increase in the number of diabetes cases between 2006 and 2010 – with the exception of a small rise in cases in 2011. However, they found significant increases in diabetes cases for certain groups, including racial and ethnic minorities, older adults, males, and people with higher body mass indices. Despite the relatively stable overall rate of new cases, these results suggest that new cases of diabetes are appearing more often in certain populations than in others. Gregory Nichols, PhD, Senior Investigator with Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research, led the study.
Regional Trends in Existing Cases of Diabetes: In Northern California Ethnic Disparities Reduced
Andrew Karter, PhD, and researchers from the Division of Research, conducted a study to evaluate ethnic differences in the severity of existing diabetes-related complications. Study participants included Kaiser Permanente Northern California members with diabetes who were at least 60 years old in 2010. The complications included: myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, amputation, end-stage renal disease, advanced diabetic eye disease, and hypoglycemic events. Among those who were studied, 32 percent of patients had at least one complication in the past two years, with eye disease and heart failure occurring most often. Karter and his team also found that certain ethnic groups were more likely to have diabetes-related complications. According to the research, Whites have the highest prevalence for most diabetes-related complications and Asians and Filipinos have the lowest prevalence. The differences in the prevalence of complications between ethnic minorities were modest. These results suggest Northern California is making progress toward reducing health disparities of diabetes-related complications among existing patients who already have diabetes.
Kaiser Permanente Southern California Improves Detection of Diabetes-Related Eye Disease
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among adults in the United States. A project conducted in Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California medical centers sought to improve diagnostic accuracy of this condition by implementing a centralized reading center that assigned a single team of technicians to assess images for diabetic retinopathy for all of the region’s facilities. The center allowed for physicians to have more time for patients who needed to see them; specially trained technicians to provide more consistent and accurate readings; and photographers to get feedback that improved their images. Most importantly, it allowed more patients with diabetes to learn whether they have potentially sight-threatening retinopathy, and receive appropriate education and treatment. Recently the retinopathy center initiative received the David M. Lawrence Patient Safety Award in recognition of the project’s impact on improving the safety of care for patients and accelerating the rate and scope of patient-safety improvements at Kaiser Permanente.
