Race in Older but Not Younger Patients Associated With Greater Glycemic Burden in Primary Care Patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine if race disparities in glycemic control differ in young vs older white and African American patients with diabetes.

METHODS: Electronic medical record data were gathered from 1431 primary care patients ≥18 years old, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, who had ≥2 A1C measurements between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2015. A1C values were used to compute the average monthly glycemic burden (AMGB). AMGB is the average monthly cumulative amount of A1C >7.5. Age-stratified (18-50 vs >50 years old) linear regression models were computed to measure the association between race and AMGB before and after adjusting for covariates.

RESULTS: Younger compared to older patients had significantly greater AMGB. In younger patients, AMGB was not significantly different in African American vs white patients. In older patients, African Americans had significantly greater AMGB compared to whites, and this association remained significant after adjusting for all covariates in a linear regression model.

CONCLUSIONS: Results narrow the known race disparity in glycemic control to older African American patients. Substantial AMGB in white and African American younger patients warrants aggressive clinical and public health interventions that could help patients manage their diabetes and reduce their risk for diabetes-related health conditions.