The Prevalence and Treatment Patterns of Diabetes in the Greek Population Based on Real-world Data from the Nation-wide Prescription Database

Aims: Epidemiological data regarding diabetes in Greece are based on regional, small-scale studies. We aimed to identify all citizens with prescribed pharmacological treatment for diabetes, to further explore type 1 diabetes prevalence and describe pharmacological treatment patterns in type 2 diabetes.

Methods: The electronic prescription database of the National Organization for Health Care Services Provision was used to identify individuals who received at least two prescriptions with an ICD-10 code relevant to diabetes, dispensed between June 1st, 2014 and May 31st, 2015. Type-1 diabetes was defined in those receiving at least two fully-reimbursable insulin prescriptions with an ICD-10 code of E10 (insulin-dependent diabetes).

Results: The study population consisted of 10,222,779 individuals, accounting for 95% of the Greek population. Prevalence of medication-prescribed diabetes was 7.0% (720,764 individuals), ranging from 0.08% in children and adolescents, to 8.2% in adults, and 30.3% in those ⩾75years old. Prevalence of type 1 diabetes was 0.24%, with a clear male predominance and more than half of cases developing after 14years of age. Metformin was the most frequently prescribed medication (77.4%) in type-2 diabetes followed by DPP-4 inhibitors (44.8%) and sulphonylureas (34.5%), while insulin was used by 19.4% of patients.

Conclusions: This nation-wide real-world data analysis on medication-prescribed diabetes demonstrates that the current prevalence in Greece is 7.0%, with wide age variation and high figures in older adults. Identification of pharmacological patterns among patients with type 2 diabetes is a valuable guide in policy-makers' efforts to balance a cost-effective, quality-acceptable disease management.