Prevalence and incidence of Type 2 diabetes and its complications 1996–2003—estimates from a Swedish population‐based study

Aims  To determine the prevalence and incidence of Type 2 diabetes and its complications in Uppsala county, Sweden between 1996 and 2003. Methods  Retrospective population‐based study of patients with Type 2 diabetes identified in computerized medical records at 26 county primary care centres. Prevalence and incidence of Type 2 diabetes were estimated in the population aged 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70–79 and ≥ 80 years. Mortality, prevalence and incidence of complications in patients with Type 2 diabetes were determined through linkage to national inpatient, uraemia and cause‐of‐death registers. Results  Crude prevalence of Type 2 diabetes increased from 2.2 to 3.5% between 1996 and 2003. In the population aged ≥ 30 years, the age‐ and sex‐adjusted period increase was 53%[odds ratio (OR) 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47–1.58]. Crude population incidence was approximately stable after 1997 (3.7 cases/1000 residents in 1997 compared with 3.8/1000 in 2003). Age‐ and sex‐adjusted mortality rates in Type 2 diabetic patients decreased by 4% per year (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94–0.97). Prevalence rates of cardiovascular disease in Type 2 diabetic patients were essentially stable, affecting 13.8% of females and 18.0% of males in 2003. No trend was detected for prevalence of renal failure or incidence of acute myocardial infarction, stroke and amputation. Conclusions  Prevalence of Type 2 diabetes increased in Uppsala county between 1996 and 2003 as a consequence of approximately stable incidence since 1997 and declining mortality. Rates of diabetes‐related complications, notably cardiovascular disease, continued to impose a substantial burden.