The Epidemiology of Diabetes in the U.S. Elderly

描述(由申请人提供)：据报道，美国和其他许多国家的糖尿病患病率正在上升。目前尚不清楚这种增加在多大程度上是由于发病率的增加或存活率的增加。大多数糖尿病病例发生在老年人群中。这项研究将衡量67岁及以上的联邦医疗保险受益人的糖尿病发病率和患病率，以及1997年至2003年的死亡率。此外，心血管、肾脏、眼睛和神经并发症是老年人糖尿病自然病史和负担的主要部分。这项研究将测量在研究开始时糖尿病患者(流行病例)以及在研究期间出现的新病例(事件病例)中发生这些并发症的频率和时间。所有这些分析都将提供不同年龄段的老年人、男性和女性以及五个种族组的信息：白人、黑人、亚洲人、西班牙人和北美土著。这项研究将是为数不多的，也是最新的研究之一，提供关于这一群体，特别是少数族裔群体成员的全国代表性信息。因此，这些信息将有助于2010年健康人倡议和总统倡议，为跟踪2010年健康人糖尿病目标和总统倡议提供信息，从而消除健康方面的种族和族裔差异。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The reported prevalence of diabetes is increasing in the United States and in many other countries. It is not known how much of this increase is due to an increased incidence or increased survival. The majority of the cases of diabetes occur in the elderly population. This study will measure the incidence and prevalence of diabetes, as well as the mortality rates for the years 1997 through 2003 among Medicare beneficiaries 67 years of age and older. In addition, cardiovascular, kidney, eye and neurological complications are a major part of the natural history and burden of diabetes in the elderly. This study will measure the frequency and time to the onset of these complications in people who have diabetes at the time the study begins (prevalent cases) as well as in the new cases (incident cases) that develop during the study. All of these analyses will provide information on different age groups of the elderly, men and women, as well as the five race groups: white, black, Asian, Hispanic and North American Native. This study will be one of the few, and the most current, to provide nationally representative information on this population, particularly among members of minority race groups. Thus, the information will be useful to the Healthy People 2010 initiative and the President's Initiative to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health by providing information for the tracking of the Healthy People 2010 Objectives for diabetes and the President's Initiative.