Prevalence of Micro- and Macrovascular Diabetes Complications at Time of Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis and Associated Clinical Characteristics: A Cross-Sectional Baseline Study of 6958 Patients in the Danish DD2 Cohort

Aims: To examine the prevalence of microand macrovascular complications and their associated clinical characteristics at time of type 2 diabetes (T2D) diagnosis. Methods: We examined the prevalence of complications and associated clinical characteristics among 6958 newly diagnosed T2D patients enrolled in the prospective Danish Center for Strategic Research in T2D cohort during 2010-2016. We calculated ageand gender-adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) of complications using log-binomial and Poisson regression. Results: In total, 35% (n=2456) T2D patients had diabetic complications around diagnosis; 12% (n=828) had microvascular complications, 17% (n=1186) macrovascular complications, and 6% (n=442) had both. HbA1c levels of ≥7% were associated with microvascular complications [HbA1c 7%-8%; aPR: 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12-1.62] but not macrovascular complications [aPR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.761.08]. High C-peptide ≥800 pmol/L was associated with macrovascular [aPR 1.34, 95% CI: 1.00-1.80] but not microvascular [aPR 0.97, 95% CI: 0.71-1.33] complications. Macrovascular complications were associated with male sex, age >50 years, obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol, smoking, elevated CRP levels, and anti-hypertensive therapy. Microvascular complications were associated with high blood pressure, hypertriglyceridemia, and absence of lipid-lowering therapy. Conclusions: One-third of patients with T2D had diabetes complications around time of diagnosis. Our findings suggest different pathophysiological mechanisms behind microand macrovascular complications.