CDC: Prevalence of diabetes has plateaued since 2012 for seniors

Since 2012, the prevalence of diabetes has plateaued among adults aged ≥68 years, according to research published in the Nov. 1 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Linda J. Andes, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues estimated the annual prevalence and incidence of diabetes during 2001 to 2015 using Medicare claims data for beneficiaries aged ≥68 years.

The researchers found that the overall national prevalence of diabetes increased from 23.3 percent in 2001 to a high of 32.2 percent in 2012 and plateaued after 2012. Compared with other racial/ethnic groups, whites have a lower prevalence of diabetes; prevalence was higher among men than women (ranges, 24.7 to 34.6 percent versus 22.3 to 30.3 percent). From 2001 to 2006, the annual percentage change in incidence was +4.5 percent, but incidence decreased after 2006 (annual percentage change, −3.3 percent). There were substantial differences in incidence by race/ethnicity and sex. The prevalence was 31.6 percent in 2015 (the most recent year estimated), and incidence was 3.0 percent.

"These data are an important source for future diabetes surveillance in the older population to monitor disease burden over time and assess disease prevention and management activities," the authors write.