Poster 430 Comparison of Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 in Veterans With and Without Spinal Cord Injury and the General Population

Abstract

Disclosures: B. Weinman, none. Objective: To compare the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 in veterans who have spinal cord injury (SCI) with those who do not have SCI and the general population with regard to time, level, and severity of injury. Design: Retrospective chart review study. Setting: Spinal cord unit at Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Participants: 419 veterans with SCI and 424 veterans without SCI as a control group. Interventions: The electronic charts of 419 veterans with SCI were screened for diagnosis of DM type 2. SCI veterans with a diagnosis of DM type 2 were selected and the following information was obtained from their medical record: age, time of injury, level of injury, severity of injury based on ASIA classification, race and body mass index BMI. The results were compared with 429 computerized randomly selected age-matched veterans without SCI who came to the same VA hospital for outpatient visits. Main Outcome Measures: We compared the prevalence of DM in veterans with SCI and those without SCI with general population. In this comparison, we considered the veteran’s age, race, BMI, level and severity of injury. Results: From 419 veterans with SCI (mean age, 58.3 years), 77 veterans had DM (18.4%). From 424 veterans without SCI (mean age, 58.6), 114 had DM (26.9%). The prevalence of DM was significantly higher in veterans without SCI ( 2 8.71, df 1; P .003). In both SCI and non-SCI groups, the patients with DM had significantly higher BMI. Discussion: The prevalence of DM in the general population is about 7%. The number for SCI veterans was 18.4%, but, interestingly, veterans without SCI had a much higher prevalence of DM (26.9%). Based on this study, the higher rate of DM in veterans directly correlates with their BMI. Conclusions: Veterans with and without SCI are at much higher risk of developing DM type 2, which, at least partly, related to the higher BMI in veterans without SCI and the neurologic injury in veterans with SCI.