Prevalence of obesity in type 2 diabetes in secondary care: association with cardiovascular risk factors.
OBJECTIVE
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 >or=25 kg/m(2)), 16.6% were obese (BMI >or=30 kg/m(2)), and 0.4% had morbid obesity (BMI >or=40 kg/m(2)). 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/m(2).


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.
Daousi
C
C
Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Group, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, UK. cdaousi@liverpool.ac.uk
Casson
I F
IF
Gill
G V
GV
MacFarlane
I A
IA
Wilding
J P H
JP
Pinkney
J H
JH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000150:complications; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D012307:Risk Factors
D008055:Lipids