Reasons for hospitalizations in adults with diabetes in Kuwait

BackgroundA large proportion of hospitalizations for diabetes are preventable. We carried out this study to determine the prevalence and reasons for hospitalization in adults with diabetes in Kuwait.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted of all hospital admissions in the Department of Medicine at Al-Sabah Hospital in Kuwait during a 2-month period. Admissions were classified into three groups: (i) medical history of diabetes; (ii) unrecognized diabetes or new hyperglycemia (i.e., an admission for fasting blood glucose ⩾7 mmol/l or random blood glucose ⩾11.1 mmol/l); and (iii) no diabetes.ResultsDiabetes was the principal or secondary diagnosis in 40.6% of hospitalizations. Unrecognized diabetes or new hyperglycemia was found in 12.9% of the patients. Patients with diabetes or new hyperglycemia were significantly older and had longer hospital stay compared to non-diabetic patients. The three most common reasons for hospitalizations in patients with diabetes were diseases of the cardiovascular system (53.6%), diseases of the respiratory system (22.8%), and diabetes as a principal diagnosis (6.3%). The five most frequent specific causes for hospitalizations in patients with medical history of diabetes as a secondary diagnosis were acute coronary syndrome (27.2%), pneumonia (14.3%), heart failure (11.2%), cerebrovascular accident (10.3%), and chronic obstructive airway disease (3.6%).ConclusionDiabetes imposes a great burden on secondary health care in Kuwait. Effective primary care and hospital outpatient preventive and treatment strategies, including education, multifactorial intervention for cardiovascular risk factors, and influenza and pneumococcal immunizations for patients with diabetes may reduce these hospitalizations among diabetic patients.