Medical examiner cases associated with previously undiagnosed diabetes mellitus, North Carolina, 1994.
BACKGROUND
Approximately half of the 16 million Americans with diabetes mellitus (DM) are unaware they have the disease; the epidemiology of death from previously undiagnosed DM is unclear. We report medical examiner (ME) cases of death from DM in North Carolina in 1994 to determine the number and characteristics of these cases.


METHODS
Deaths from DM ICD-9 were identified and reviewed.


RESULTS
Of the 42 cases ascertained from ME records, 6 had previously undiagnosed DM, 5 had diabetes ketoacidosis, and 1 had nonketotic hyperosmolar hyperglycemia. Mean patient age at death for all cases was 42 years (range, 35 years to 57 years). Four patients felt bad at least 24 hours before death, indicating that they are not technically "sudden deaths."


CONCLUSIONS
We provide a limited epidemiologic perspective of the phenomenon of death from undiagnosed DM. We suggest further investigation of mortality from previously undiagnosed diabetes.
Bell
R A
RA
Division of Health Promotion, North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources, Raleigh 27626-0605, USA.
Howard
D
D
Norman
M
M
Butts
J
J
Lengerich
E J
EJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001344:Autopsy; D002648:Child; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D016883:Diabetic Ketoacidosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006944:Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Nonketotic Coma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology