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Postgrad Med J 2006;82:280-284 doi:10.1136/pmj.2005.039032
  • Original article

Prevalence of obesity in type 2 diabetes in secondary care: association with cardiovascular risk factors

  1. C Daousi,
  2. I F Casson,
  3. G V Gill,
  4. I A MacFarlane,
  5. J P H Wilding,
  6. J H Pinkney
  1. Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Group, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, UK
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr C Daousi
 Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Group, University Hospital Aintree, Clinical Sciences Centre, 3rd Floor, Longmoor Lane, Liverpool L9 7AL, UK; cdaousi{at}liverpool.ac.uk
  • Received 30 June 2005
  • Accepted 8 October 2005

Abstract

Aims: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus attending a secondary care diabetes clinic in the United Kingdom, and to assess the impact of overweight and obesity on glycaemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: 3637 patients with diabetes were identified from the hospital electronic diabetes register, 916 with type 1 diabetes (mean (SD) age 40.4 (15.1) years, 496 male) and 2721 with type 2 diabetes (mean (SD) age 62.5 (11.8) years, 1436 male). Data on body mass index (BMI), glycaemic control, lipid profiles, and blood pressure were extracted.

Results: Of patients with type 1 diabetes, 55.3% were overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m2), 16.6% were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2), and 0.4% had morbid obesity (BMI ≥40 kg/m2). In contrast, 86% of patients with type 2 diabetes were overweight or obese, 52% were obese, and 8.1% had morbid obesity. Obese patients with type 2 diabetes were younger, had poorer glycaemic control, higher blood pressures, worse lipid profiles, and were more likely to be receiving antihypertensive and lipid lowering drugs compared with patients with BMI <30 kg/m2.

Conclusions: Obesity is the rule among patients attending this hospital diabetes clinic, with 86% of those with type 2 diabetes overweight or obese. Obesity is associated with significantly worse cardiovascular risk factors in this patient group, suggesting that more active interventions to control weight gain would be appropriate.

Footnotes

  • Funding: none.

  • Conflicts of interest: none declared.

Responses to this article

  • Keeping ‘diabesity’ in check – the onus is on clinicians
    • Arun Natarajan
    Postgrad Med J published online April 19, 2006

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