[Sporadic registration of obesity as secondary diagnosis].
BACKGROUND
The aim was to examine the extent to which obese patients, who are followed up for an obesity-related disease in an outpatient clinic, are correctly registered with the secondary diagnosis of obesity.


METHODS
We investigated the number of patients at the Endocrine Outpatient Clinic, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, who were registered in the patient administrative system with the primary diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, and how many of these were registered with the secondary diagnosis of obesity.


RESULTS
Of 233 patients with type 2 diabetes, 79 had a BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 kg/m2 (overweight) and 108 a BMI > 30 kg/m2 (obesity). Thus, 80% of these patients were overweight or obese. Of the 108 patients with a BMI > 30 kg/m2. only 13 (12%) were registered with the secondary diagnosis of obesity, and of 17 severely obese patients with a BMI > 40 kg/m2 only four (24%) were registered with the secondary diagnosis of obesity.


CONCLUSIONS
Obese patients with type 2 diabetes are seldom correctly registered with the secondary diagnosis of obesity. The actual practice of registration probably causes a large underestimation of the impact, and thereby of the magnitude of the economic cost of and the contribution of obesity to total health care costs. Improved registration of obesity as secondary diagnosis in obesity-related diseases is needed.
Svendsen
Ole Lander
OL
Medicinsk endokrinologisk klinik PE 2131, Abdominalcentret, H:S Rigshospitalet, DK-2100 København. ols@dadlnet.dk
Rasmussen
Bo Sonnich
BS
D015992:Body Mass Index; D003718:Denmark; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records / Q000592:standards; D009765:Obesity; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012042:Registries / Q000592:standards*