[Estimating prevalence of diabetes mellitus in a Lazio province, Italy, by capture-recapture models].
OBJECTIVE
to estimate the prevalence of diabetes in a Lazio province, Italy, using a record linkage offour patient lists and applying capture-recapture techniques.


METHODS
we selected records of individuals living in Viterbo province (Lazio region, Italy) from four lists obtained from three different health administrative registries in 2004: the hospital discharge registry of Lazio region (ICD9-CM code 250, 2488 subjects); the registry of outpatient care prescriptions (subjects exempted from medical charge for health care related to diabetes, 3582 subjects); subjects with prescriptions of glicate haemoglobin (7169 subjects); the registry of exemptions, from medical charge for health care of the local health unit of Viterbo province, related to diabetes (8529 subjects). A deterministic record linkage using 5 different keys of linkage obtained from demographic information, was applied The estimates were derived using two capture-recapture techniques: log-linear models and sample-coverage approach.


RESULTS
Record linkage results using the 5 different keys of linkage were similar. Prevalence estimates varied between 63% and 7.8% when all four lists were considered and they varied between 5.7% and 6.1% when the glicate haemoglobin list was excluded.


CONCLUSIONS
Our estimates were slightly higher compared to those recently reported in the literature; estimates were particularly influenced by the inclusion/exclusion of the haemoglobin glicate prescriptions list. Estimates were not influenced either by the key of linkage, or by the capture-recapture technique. Health administrative registries can be used to estimate the prevalence of diabetes through record linkage and capture-recapture techniques. This approach leads to a reduction of time and costs compared with traditional health surveys.
Giarrizzo
Maria Letizia
ML
Laziosanità-Agenzia di sanità pubblica della Regione Lazio. giarrizzo@asplazio.it
Pezzotti
Patrizio
P
Silvestri
Irene
I
Di Lallo
Domenico
D
D000368:Aged; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence