title: Ethnic differences in cause specific mortality among hospitalised patients with diabetes: a linkage study in New Zealand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe patterns of excess mortality among patients with diabetes in three ethnic groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  A linkage study of national hospital discharge records to death records.
  
  
  METHODS
  New Zealand.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 74 847 patients (11,268 Māori, 5730 Pacific, and 57,849 non-Māori/non-Pacific) aged over 25 years with a hospital discharge diagnosis of diabetes between 1988 and 2001. By the end of 2001, 29,295 (39%) of the cohort had died. Based on the underlying cause of death, standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) (95% confidence intervals) were calculated for each ethnic group and sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing the mortality patterns of patients with diabetes to the general population of the same ethnic group, adjusting for age and calendar period, all cause SMRs were higher for Māori women and men: 3.80 (95% CI: 3.64 to 3.97) and 3.44 (95%CI: 3.30 to 3.58) than for Pacific (men: 2.41 (95%CI: 2.21 to 2.61); women: 2.23 (95%CI: 2.06 to 2.41)) and non-Māori/non-Pacific (men: 2.98 (95%CI: 2.93 to 3.04); women: 2.99 (95%CI: 2.93 to 3.04)) people. SMRs were significantly raised for several causes of death, including cardiovascular disease and many site specific cancers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pattern of excess mortality among Māori with diabetes may relate to severity of disease. This needs further investigation, as the excess mortality may be amenable to intervention.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University, Private Bag 756, Wellington, New Zealand. m.jeffreys@massey.ac.nz
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeffreys
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: 't Mannetje
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pearce
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000208:ethnology; D005060:Europe / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006753:Hospital Records; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010139:Pacific Islands / Q000208:ethnology