Source
Department of Veterans Affairs New Jersey Healthcare System, Center for Health Care Knowledge Management, East Orange, New Jersey 07018, USA. Ranjana.Banerjea@va.gov
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Create a taxonomy and examine the predictors of the often co-occurring conditions of substance use disorders and mental illness in veterans with diabetes.
DESIGN:
Merged Veteran Health Administration and Medicare fee-for-service claims data (N = 485,893).
RESULTS:
Thirty-one percent of patients with diabetes were diagnosed with either mental illness or substance use and had higher rates of diabetes-related complications. Women were more likely to have serious mental illness; African Americans and Latinos more likely to have drug and/or alcohol use.
CONCLUSION:
Prevalence of substance use disorder and mental illness differed by socio-demographics, suggesting the need for tailored diabetes management interventions.