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Table 3 Effect of comorbidity of patients with diabetes on medical health care utilization adjusted for age, gender, educational level and GP practice specified by comorbidity with the patient group without comorbidity as reference group (coefficient and 95% confidence interval (CI) and Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% CI)

From: Comorbidity in patients with diabetes mellitus: impact on medical health care utilization

DM-related comorbidity

Heart diseases (n = 1,096)

Stroke (n = 218)

Retinopathy (n = 63)

Nephropathy (n = 57)

Diabetic Foot (n = 204)

 

β/OR

CI 95%

β/OR

CI 95%

β/OR

CI 95%

β/OR

CI 95%

β/OR

CI 95%

GP care

          

No. of visits to GP (β)

5.2

(4.74, 5.73)

3.4

(2.4, 4.4)

3.20

(1.37, 5.04)

5.6

(3.7, 7.6)

8.46

(7.42, 9.48)

% patients with prescriptions (OR)

*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

No. of prescriptions (β)

12.8

(11.52, 14.1)

4.1

(1.6, 6.7)

5.62

(0.90, 10.36)

12.1

(7.2, 17.0)

20.88

(18.23, 23.54)

Ambulatory medical specialist care†

          

% of patients with consultations (OR)

1.7

(1.5, 2.1)

2.0

(1.5, 2.9)

1.4

(0.8, 2.7)

1.0

(0.5, 1.9)

1.0

(0.7, 1.5)

No. of consultations (β)

0.4

(0.3, 0.4)

0.4

(0.2, 0.6)

-0.2

(-0.1, 0.5)

-0.1

(-0.5, 0.2)

0.0

(-0.2, 0.2)

Hospital care

          

% patients with admission (OR)

2.6

(2.2, 3.2)

2.8

(2.0, 4.1)

1.9

(1.00, 3.7)

0.9

(0.4, 1.9)

1.4

(0.9, 2.1)

No. of hospital admissions (β)

0.4

(0.3, 0.4)

0.4

(0.2, 0.5)

0.3

(0.1, 0.6)

0.2

(-0.1, 0.4)

0.1

(-0.0, 0.2)

Average length of stay (β)

0.9

(0.7, 1.1)

1.5

(1.0, 2.0)

0.7

(-0.2, 1.6)

-0.2

(-1.1,0.7)

0.8

(0.3, 1.3)

Total hospital days (β)

3.1

(2.5, 3.7)

3.3

(2.1, 4.4)

2.1

(0.0, 4.3)

0.8

(-1.5, 3.1)

2.4

(1.2, 3.6)

Non DM-related comorbidity

Depression (n = 295)

Neurological diseases (n = 69)

Musculoskeletal Diseases (n = 1,722)

Lung Diseases (n = 531)

Cancer (n = 206)

 

β/OR

CI 95%

β/OR

CI 95%

β/OR

CI 95%

β/OR

CI 95%

β/OR

CI 95%

GP care

          

No. of visits to GP (β)

6.8

(5.9, 7.6)

4.1

(2.4, 5.9)

4.1

(3.7, 4.5)

5.3

(4.6, 5.9)

5.9

(4.9, 6.9)

% patients with prescriptions (OR)

*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

No. of prescriptions (β)

12.9

(10.6, 15.1)

8.0

(3.5, 12.5)

4.2

(3.2, 5.3)

15.3

(13.6, 17.0)

3.4

(0.8, 6.1)

Ambulatory medical specialist care†

          

% of patients with consultations (OR)

1.1

(0.8, 1.5)

1.0

(0.5, 1.8)

3.6

(3.1, 4.1)

1.2

(1.0, 1.5)

1.3

(0.9, 1.9)

No. of consultation by specialist (β)

0.2

(0.1, 0.3)

0.1

(-0.2, 0.3)

0.6

(0.6, 0.7)

0.3

(0.2, 0.4)

0.4

(0.2, 0.5)

Hospital care

          

% patients with admission (OR)

1.3

(0.9, 1.9)

1.5

(0.8, 2.9)

3.8

(3.2, 4.4)

1.2

(0.9, 1.6)

1.8

(1.2, 2.7)

No. of hospital admissions (β)

0.1

(0.0, 0.2)

0.0

(-0.3, 0.2)

0.3

(0.3, 0.4)

0.1

(0.1, 0.2)

0.4

(0.2, 0.5)

Average length of stay (β)

0.5

(0.1, 0.9)

0.5

(-0.3, 1.4)

0.9

(0.7, 1.1)

0.4

(0.0, 0.7)

0.5

(0.0,1.0)

Total hospital days (β)

1.5

(0.5, 2.6)

0.1

(-1.9, 2.2)

2.3

(1.8, 2.7)

1.47

(0.7, 2.2)

2.4

(1.2, 3.6)

  1. DM: diabetes mellitus; GP: general practitioner *= ORs for getting pharmaceuticals prescribed can not be calculated due to the high percentages of patients who get pharmaceuticals prescribed; † = only first referrals are included in the analysis.