Determinants of Diabetic Complications: A Population-Based Case-Control Study

Background and Objectives: Diabetes is considered as one of the most common endocrine disorders worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with diabetic complications. Methods: A casecontrol study was performed on the data of 70089 diabetic patients (4622 cases and 53613 controls) extracted from the SINA Electronic Health Record (SinaEHR reg;) in a population covered by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2018. The effect of independent variables on the likelihood of diabetic complications was investigated using singlevariable and multivariate logistic regression models with the control of the potential confounding effects. Results: Using the multivariate logistic regression, the odds of developing diabetic complications were 0.35 (0.310.38) for living in the city, 0.73(0.670.79) for living in the suburbs and 0.31(0.280.33) for living in rural areas relative to the metropolises, 0.84 (0.780.91) for illiterate subjects, 0.70 (0.660.75) for physical activity, 1.51(1.341.71) for stage 1 hypertension and 1.87 (1.432.44) for stage 2 hypertension relative to normal blood pressure, 0.79(0.740.85) for uncontrolled low density lipoprotein and 1.42(1.331.51) for uncontrolled hemoglobin A1C. Conclusion: Various risk factors were identified to increase the odds ratio of diabetic complications. The most important risk factors were uncontrolled glycosylated hemoglobin and stage 1 and 2 hypertension. Control of these factors can reduce the chance of diabetic complications in diabetic patients.