'Significant variations in prevalence' of diabetes around Ireland - research
Some parts of the country have a higher rate of type 1 diabetes than others and men are more likely to have the condition.
Researchers estimated the prevalence and incidence of type 1 diabetes in the Irish population using a national pharmacy claims database, in the absence of a national diabetes register.
Entitled ‘Prevalence and Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in Ireland: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Study Using a National Pharmacy Claims Data from 2016’, the study found 20,081 prevalent cases of type 1 diabetes in 2016. Incidence was based on the first claim for insulin in 2016, with no insulin use in the preceding 12 months. There were 1,527 new cases of type 1 diabetes in 2016, giving an incidence rate of 32 per 100,000 population/year.
According to the research, published in the BMJ Open journal, “Significant variations in prevalence and incidence between the different geographical regions were observed.”
The average national incidence rate for type 1 diabetes is 32.07 per 100,000 of population per year.
But in County Louth, the comparable incidence rate is 53.54, the highest in the country. Cork, combining the city and county, has the second-highest prevalence, at a rate of 40.53 per 100,000 of population per year.
Louth also has the highest incidence rate in children aged under 14, followed by Mayo and then Cork, and the highest incidence rate for adolescents and children aged under 14, followed in that metric by Kerry and then Cork.
However, when it comes to prevalence in children as a percentage of population, Waterford has the highest level of any county.
The study highlights the need for a national register to measure diabetes, the researchers say: “Establishing a national diabetes register is essential to enable updated epidemiological estimates of diabetes and for planning of services in Ireland.”
According to the report, while the prevalence and incidence of diabetes are increasing worldwide, a recent systematic review shows “the paucity of data available on incidence and prevalence of type 1 diabetes in adults”.
“Incidence rates in adult populations are rarely available, in part due to the difficulty in distinguishing type 1 diabetes from type 2 diabetes requiring insulin treatment. In addition, more than 20% of adults with type 2 diabetes may also be receiving insulin,” the report says.
The researchers determined that of all prevalent cases, 55% are men and diabetes is highest in the oldest age groups, and lowest in children under 14 years. “There was a significant increasing prevalence with increasing age,” it says. “Based on pharmacy claims data, this national study estimated the overall prevalence of type 1 diabetes in Ireland as 0.45%, and it increases with age. The prevalence in adults was 0.48%, with the highest number of prevalent cases being observed in the 45–54 years age group.”
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