Assessment of Current Insulin Usage in Type 2 Diabetics According to Diabetes Type Distribution among Insulin-treated Patients in Ukraine

Use of insulin in the treatment of type 2 diabetics may vary among different countries from 5% to 50%. The validity of this evaluation may depend on the diabetes type classification of adult insulin-treated patients (ITP). An attempt at such evaluation was made by using data of the Ukrainian Diabetes Mellitus Register (102,580 ITP aged ≥30). ITP were stratified into subgroups according to age at diagnosis (ATD). The numbers of patients with insulin-free period <2 yrs (IFP <2) and female/male distribution were compared. The proportion of ITP with IFP <2 decreased and the female/male relative risk increased with an increase in ATD. Taking only the number of patients with ATD ≥40 in consideration yielded a 7.8% rate of insulin use by type 2 patients. The majority of ITP aged >29 in Ukraine probably are type 2 diabetics. INTRODUCTION