Short summary

In 2012 the Danish National Diabetes Register was closed and thus also the basis for ongoing monitoring of the epidemiology of diabetes in Denmark. The aim of this study is to establish a national diabetes database for research in the epidemiology of diabetes and its complications as well as for future monitoring of the epidemiological aspects of diabetes in Denmark.  In addition, the present project will contribute with estimations of the costs of diabetes to patient and society and will investigate conditions related to the risk of misclassification of diabetes, notably gestational diabetes (GDM) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). 

Rationale

Diabetes is a severe chronic disease affecting many millions of patients worldwide, making diabetes a major global health problem. Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of several severe complications including eye and cardiovascular diseases, nerve disorders and recently also depression and dementia. Diabetes thus results in reduced quality of life and reduced life expectancy, especially for those patients where the disease is not detected in time or is badly regulated. Combined with the high and increasing incidence, these conditions make diabetes a major and growing health and socioeconomic problem.

The Danish National Diabetes Register was closed in 2012 and thus also the base for ongoing monitoring of the epidemiology of diabetes in Denmark. In the future diabetes will be part of the new Register of Selected Chronic Diseases. However, this register will be limited only to include cases of diabetes meeting arbitrary criteria for classification into type 1 and type 2 diabetes, respectively. Thereby, patients categorized with diabetes of other type or with unspecified diabetes are ignored. Furthermore, information on diabetes related complications will not be included in the new Register of Selected Chronic Diseases.

Aim:

The aim of this project is to establish a national diabetes database for monitoring trends in incidence, mortality, morbidity and resulting prevalence of diabetes and diabetes related diseases in Denmark. In addition, the present project will contribute with estimates of the costs of diabetes for patients and society. The project will also investigate conditions related to the risk of misclassification of diabetes, notably gestational diabetes (GDM) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Description of the cohort

The cohort will be formed by including all individuals in Denmark diagnosed with diabetes (regardless of type), GDM and PCOS, incl. hirsutism in the period 1977 to 2017. These individuals will be retrieved from the Danish National Patient Registry based on diagnostic relevant ICD-codes/ procedures , supplemented with ascertainment of individuals using specific ATC codes for antidiabetic drugs as identifiable from the Danish National Prescription Registry. For all individuals, follow-up data are retrieved from the Cause of Death Register and the Danish Civil Registration System.

Data and biological material

Register data from the following registries: the Danish National Patient Registry, the Danish National Prescription Registry, the Danish Civil Registration system and the Death Cause Registry.

Data will be stored at the "Forskermaskine" at "Sundhedsdatastyrelsen".

The study does not collect biological material.

Collaborating researchers and departments

OPEN Odense Patient data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital 

• Professor and Supervisor Anders Green, MD, PhD