Screening for Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes among Patients Admitted to an Internal Medicine Ward
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24950/rspmi.2363Keywords:
Diabetes Mellitus/diagnosis, Glycated Hemoglobin, Prediabetic StateAbstract
Introduction: The estimated prevalence of diabetes in
Portugal is 14.1%, with only 56% of cases being diagnosed.
When including pre-diabetes, the joint prevalence reaches
42.7%. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed cases of diabetes and pre-diabetes among patients admitted to an Internal Medicine ward, thereby assessing the relevance of routinely conducting glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) determinations for all admitted patients.
Material and Methods: In this descriptive observational
cross-sectional study, patients admitted to an Internal Medicine ward over a 15-week period were analyzed. Patients were excluded if they met any of the following criteria: a prior diagnosis of diabetes, the presence of pathologies or conditions that could interfere with HbA1c measurements, or if screening would not be beneficial due to clinical or ethical considerations. After identifying eligible patients, HbA1c levels were determined, and patients were categorized as “Without Diabetes”, “Pre-Diabetes” or “Diabetes”, with corresponding prevalence rates calculated.
Results: Out of 518 hospitalized patients, 207 (39.96%) met the eligibility criteria. Among them, 88 (42.51%) patients had pre-diabetes, while newly diagnosed diabetes cases
accounted for 10.15% (n = 21) of the eligible population.
Conclusion: Given the rate of initial diabetes diagnoses,
routine screening upon admission appears relevant and
ought to be considered according to local context.
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