Incidence, morbidity, mortality, and prevalence of diabetes in Denmark, 2000–2011: results from the Diabetes Impact Study 2013

PURPOSE: As part of the Danish Diabetes Impact Study 2013, we present trends in the incidence, morbidity, mortality, and prevalence of diabetes in Denmark for the period 2000 through 2011. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Danish National Diabetes Register was established in 2006 and is assumed to cover all patients with diabetes, alive as of the end of 1996, and all subsequent new cases. The present study is based on the content of the register as of July 3, 2013 (n=497,232 patients). Using the personal identification code assigned to all Danish inhabitants, all available supplementary information from the Danish National Patient Register and the Danish Civil Registration Service was used to define the date of diagnosis of diabetes and the first date of experiencing complications (grouped according to impact and severity). RESULTS: During the period of 2000 to 2011, the incidence rate of diabetes increased approximately 5% annually. During the same period, decreasing trends were observed for both the rates of progression in complications and of the complication-specific mortality. During the same period, the prevalence of diabetes doubled. CONCLUSION: The increasing prevalence of diabetes in Denmark is driven by increasing incidence combined with decreasing morbidity and mortality in the population of patients with diabetes. These mechanisms will be explored further as part of the Diabetes Impact Study 2013, together with investigations into the socioeconomic and health economic aspects of diabetes.