Evolution of the burden of diabetes among adults and children in Québec, Canada, from 2001 to 2019: A population-based longitudinal surveillance study

Introduction

Many developed countries, including Canada, have observed reductions in incidence of diabetes. Given the latest improvements in the case definition of diabetes for the younger population in Quebec, Canada, we sought to examine the evolution of diabetes among adults and children in Quebec, between 2001 and 2019.

Methods

Crude and age-standardized incidence and prevalence of diabetes among individuals ≥1 year were calculated using data from the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System (n≈8,351,500 in 2019), using two case definitions for adults and the youth respectively. Age-standardized all-cause hospitalizations and mortality proportions were calculated among the population ≥20 years.

Results

Between 2001 and 2019, age-standardized incidence decreased by 30%, with a crude incidence of 4.6 per 1,000 in 2019. Incidence rates decreased from age group ≥50 years but increased by 25% for the group of 1-19 years. Age-standardized prevalence increased by 42% (crude prevalence in 2019: 8.1%). Males had higher incidence and prevalence of diabetes, with an incremental gap between sexes increasing with age. All-cause hospitalization and mortality proportions among individuals with diabetes declined by 21% and 29% respectively between 2001 and 2019. Age-standardized hospitalizations and mortality ratios for individuals with/without diabetes remained stable and were 2.7 (99% Confidence Intervals [CI]: 2.7-2.8) and 2.2 (99% CI: 2.1-2.3) in 2019, respectively.

Conclusion

Despite the reduction of incidence among adults, diabetes incidence increased among the youth and remained high among adults, especially for males. These results highlight the importance of improving earlier preventive care and initiatives for reducing the diabetes burden in Quebec.