Glycaemic and lipid control and renal status in adult type 2 diabetes patients in Finland between 2014 and 2019

Background Type 2 diabetes (T2D) increases the risk of serious comorbidities, but multifactorial management has been shown to improve prognosis. There have been significant developments in the management of T2D, but their effect in real life remains poorly studied nationally. We assessed the characteristics and standard of care among the Finnish people with T2D (PwT2D) from 2014 to 2019.

Methods T2D patients were identified from national registries based on diagnosis entries, drug purchase records, and drug reimbursement data. T2D related laboratory measurements were used to assess standard of care and comorbidities through codes for diagnosis and medical procedures.

Results Prevalence of T2D among Finnish adults increased by 1,6 %-points during the observation period, and this trend was observed in all age groups. HbA1c target of <53 mmol/mol was not achieved in 28,5 % of PwT2D. LDL cholesterol levels slightly decreased, yet high-risk patients often did not meet targets. Slightly more than one fifth of the patients were treated with insulin, and the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors increased substantially.

Conclusions T2D prevalence is increasing among adult population. HbA1c levels are slowly increasing. Treatment results in dyslipidemia have improved. Standard of care requires continuous scrutiny.

Hannu Vessari, Hanne Luoto, Antti Aalto, Essi J. Peltonen, Ilona Iso-Mustajärvi, Paavo Raittinen, Tuire Prami, Markku Saraheimo, Timo Valle, Tero Saukkonen