Introduction: Although screening for diabetes is recommended at age 45, some populations may be at greater risk at earlier ages. Our objective was to quantify age disparities among patients with type 2 diabetes in New York City.
Methods: Using all-payer hospital claims data for New York City, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of patients with type 2 diabetes identified from emergency department visits during the 5-year period 2011-2015. We estimated type 2 diabetes prevalence at each year of life, the age distribution of patients stratified by decade, and the average age of patients by sex, race/ethnicity, and geographic location.
Results: We identified 576,306 unique patients with type 2 diabetes. These patients represented more than half of all people with type 2 diabetes in New York City. Patients in racial/ethnic minority groups were on average 5.5 to 8.4 years younger than non-Hispanic white patients. At age 45, type 2 diabetes prevalence was 10.9% among non-Hispanic black patients and 5.2% among non-Hispanic white patients. In our geospatial analyses, patients with type 2 diabetes were on average 6 years younger in hotspots of diabetes-related emergency department use and inpatient hospitalizations. The average age of patients with type 2 diabetes was also 1 to 2 years younger in hotspots of microvascular diabetic complications.
Conclusion: We identified profound age disparities among patients with type 2 diabetes in racial/ethnic minority groups and in neighborhoods with poor health outcomes. The younger age of these patients may be due to earlier onset of diabetes and/or earlier death from diabetic complications. Our findings demonstrate the need for geographically targeted interventions that promote earlier diagnosis and better glycemic control.