Regional Differences in the Prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in China.

Background: There are large regional variations in the prevalence and mortality of cardiovascular disease in general populations in China. It remains uncertain whether the prevalence in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) varies by region in China.

Methods: We analyzed data of 219,522 Chinese patients with T2DM retrieved from the China National HbA1c Surveillance System in 2012. We used the Chinese population distribution in 2010 to standardize prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and composite of both in 30 provinces and seven geological regions. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to obtain ORs and CIs of provinces/geological regions for CHD, stroke, and composite of both.

Results: Age and sex standardized prevalence of CHD, stroke, and composite of both was, respectively, 4.59% (95% CI, 4.58 to 4.60), 1.79% (1.79 to 1.80), and 5.85% (5.84 to 5.86), in contrast to 0.60% of CHD, 0.80% of stroke, and 1.37% of composite of both in the general population in China. After adjustment for traditional risk factors, Northeast had the highest risks of CHD, stroke, and composite of both, and North had the second highest risks of CHD, stroke, and composite of both among the seven regions, both being higher than any other regions (all P values < 0.05). The ORs of Northeast vs Southwest were up to 2.60 (2.35 to 2.88) for CHD, 2.49 (2.15 to 2.88) for stroke, and 2.61 (2.38 to 2.86) for composite of both.

Conclusions: There were large variations in risks of CHD, stroke, and composite of both in T2DM in China with Northeast and North having the highest risks.