Prevalence of comorbidities and their associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes at a tertiary care department in Ningbo, China: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of comorbidities in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and identify the factors independently associated with comorbidities in a tertiary care department in Ningbo, China. DESIGN: A computerised medical records database was used to conduct a cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study was conducted in a tertiary care department in Ningbo, China. PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted on adult patients with T2DM, and it included 8 years of data, from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2019. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Comorbidity was defined as the coexistence of at least one other chronic condition, that is, either a physical non-communicable disease (duration ≥3 months), a mental health condition (duration ≥3 months) or an infectious disease (duration ≥3 months). RESULTS: In total, 4777 patients with T2DM satisfied the eligibility criteria. Over 8 years, the prevalence of comorbidities was 93.7%. The odds of comorbidities increased with the age of patients (18 to 39 years: 1; 40 to 59 years: OR 2.80, 95% CI 1.98 to 3.96; 60 to 69 years: OR 4.43, 95% CI 3.04 to 6.44; and ≥70 years: OR 10.97, 95% CI 7.17 to 16.77). The odds were lower in female patients (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.84), patients residing in rural areas (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.95) and patients without health insurance (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.83). The odds were higher in single/divorced/widowed patients compared with those in married patients (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.21 to 3.12). CONCLUSIONS: A large percentage of patients with T2DM in the tertiary care department in Ningbo, China, had comorbidities, and the factors associated with comorbidities were identified. The findings could be used in developing, evaluating and implementing interventions aimed at improving outcomes in patients with T2DM with comorbidities.