This study, published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, explores how diabetes, multiple chronic conditions, and mortality rates are affected by racial disparities. The study sample included patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who also had multiple chronic health conditions. A retrospective analysis was done on 443,932 beneficiaries of Medicare in Michigan who fulfilled the above criteria. Cox regression was used to predict mortality rates, and multinomial logistic regression was used to determine predictors of combinations of multiple chronic conditions.
The researchers concluded that race did influence mortality rates in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had multiple chronic conditions. Black individuals and American Indian/Alaska Natives were found to have higher mortality rates in general, while no significant disparity in mortality rates was found for whites and Hispanics. Black patients exhibited an increased risk of various chronic condition combinations, while white, Hispanic, and Native American/Alaskan Native patients all exhibited a lower risk.
The mortality disparities persisted even when the data were adjusted for chronic conditions. This finding suggests that racial disparities profoundly impact diabetes mortality rates in Black individuals and Native Americans [1].
Source:
[1] Clements, J. M., West, B. T., Yaker, Z., Lauinger, B., McCullers, D., Haubert, J., Tahboub, M. A., & Everett, G. J. (2020). Disparities in diabetes-related multiple chronic conditions and mortality: The influence of race. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 159, 107984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2019.107984
