Diabetes: In-Hospital Mortality Risk Has Decreased Over Time

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Neel M. Butala, AB
Medical student at Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?

Answer: We found that patients with diabetes had a disproportionate reduction in in-hospital mortality relative to patients without diabetes over the decade from 2000 to 2010.


MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Answer: The complete reversal in mortality risk over the decade was surprising to us. In 2000, a patient with diabetes would be more likely to die in the hospital than a patient without diabetes. However, in 2010, a patient with diabetes would be less likely to die in the hospital than a patient without diabetes.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Answer: Clinicians and patients should be aware that the in-hospital mortality risk of diabetes has decreased over time. This should beget further inquiry into the causes of this observed decrease.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Answer: Future research should try to understand causes of this observed trend. During this decade, there have been major advances in and emphasis on improved glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factor management for patients with diabetes. It would be interesting to see if any of these factors can explain the observed trend. It would also be interesting to investigate whether trend is more or less prominent in particular types of patients in the hospital.

Citation:

Decade-Long Trends in Mortality Among Patients With and Without Diabetes Mellitus at a Major Academic Medical Center

Butala NM, Johnson BK, Dziura JD, et al. Decade-Long Trends in Mortality Among Patients With and Without Diabetes Mellitus at a Major Academic Medical Center. JAMA Intern Med. Published online May 19, 2014. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.1803.

 

Last Updated on November 3, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD