Warning to diabetics as more are being admitted to hospital with ‘non-traditional’ side effects
PEOPLE with diabetes are being admitted to hospital with non-traditional side effects, experts have warned.
Some of the most common complications of the disease include heart attack, stroke and nerve damage leading to amputation.
But a new major study found that among the top 10 reasons for hospital admission, only four were "traditional" to diabetes.
These were cellulitis, heart failure, urinary tract infections, and skin abscesses.
The study was conducted in adults with type 2 diabetes in Australia over seven years.
Researchers tracked 456,000 patients aged 15 or older - around half of the total number of patients in Australia.
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They compared hospital data to more than 19 million people in the wider Australian population, who were less likely overall to be admitted to hospital.
The study categorised traditional complications as including:
- Vascular diseases
- Kidney failure
- Retinopathy and cataracts
- Neuropathy
- Obesity
- Infections, such as urinary
Emerging side-effects included:
- Liver disease
- Mental health disorders
- Various cancers such as gastrointestinal
- Infections less commonly associated with diabetes, such as respiratory and sepsis
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The findings were modelled to estimate relative risk of hospital admission against the general public.
The leading cause of excess hospital admissions in men was cellulitis - a bacterial skin infection that is known to be more common in diabetics.
But this was followed by the lesser-known complications of stress and iron deficiency anaemia.
Diabetes appeared to double the risk of admission for these conditions.
In females, the "new" complication of iron deficiency anaemia was the leading cause of excess annual admissions.
This was followed by well-known complications of urinary tract infections and cellulitis.
High rates of excess hospital admission were also noted for depression, gastrointestinal disorders and asthma.
Lead study author Dr Dee Tomic, of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, said the findings in fact suggest that treatment for diabetes has improved.
“People with diabetes [are] living longer, making them susceptible to a broader range of complications", he said.
But he added: “Increasing hospitalisations for mental health disorders as well as infections like sepsis and pneumonia will place extra burden on healthcare systems."
In England, classic side-effects accounted for more than half of hospital admissions in people with diabetes in 2003, but for less than a third in 2018.
Dr Faye Riley, from Diabetes UK, said: “It’s important to remember that complications of diabetes are not inevitable.
"With the right support to help manage the condition, it is possible to live well and avoid future health problems.”
The findings are being presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, later this month.
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It comes after a seperate team warned that back pain, depression and osteoarthritis are among the most commonly experienced problems in people with diabetes.
Dr Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, Head of Health Analytics at LCP, called the findings “unexpected”.