Mortality and potential years of life lost attributable to poor glycemic control in Emiratis with diabetes

The aim of this study was to estimate the fraction of deaths and potential years of life lost (PYLL) attributable to non-optimal HbA1c control among Emirati men and women with diabetes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This study was conducted in outpatient clinics at a tertiary care center in Al-Ain, UAE, between April 2008 and September 2018. The sample comprised of 583 adult UAE nationals, aged ≥ 18 years, with diabetes. Non-optimal HbA1c control was defined as HbA1c ≥ 6.5% and all-cause mortality was defined as death from any cause.

At the end of the 9-year follow-up period, 86 (14.8%) participants died. Overall, up to 33% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2% to 63%) of deaths were attributable to non-optimal HbA1c control among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Stratified by sex, the adjusted fraction of avoidable mortality was 17% (95% CI, -23% to 57%) for men and 50% (95% CI, 3% to 98%) for women. Both deaths and PYLL attributable to non-optimal HbA1c control were higher in women compared to men.

Up to one-third of all deaths in adult UAE nationals with DM could be attributed to non-optimal HbA1c control.