Intrahospital Prevalence of Diabetes and Prediabetes in Medical Departments in Upper Austria

Background: The intrahospital prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes is not well known in Austria and worldwide. Screening for diabetes in hospitalised patients requires systematic glycaemic assessment via HbA1c measurement, which is not routinely performed in all patients in most hospitals. This study is the first multicentre investigation to conduct structured HbA1c screening in hospitalised adult medical patients of all ages. Methods: In this exploratory multicentre analysis, HbA1c screening was performed in 3025 consecutive patients hospitalised at three different medical departments in Upper Austria. HbA1c screening was conducted over a period of three months between October 2023 and March 2024. Patients were diagnosed with diabetes (HbA1c ≥6.5% (≥48 mmol/mol)) or prediabetes (HbA1c 5.7-6.4% (39-47 mmol/mol)) based on HbA1c values or a previous diagnosis. Results: Dysglycaemia (diabetes or prediabetes) was identified in 1557 patients (51.5%). Diabetes was present in 840 patients (27.8%) and prediabetes in 717 patients (23.7%). A first-time diagnosis of diabetes was made in 73 patients (2.4%). The prevalence of diabetes was highest among patients aged 70-79 years (36.8% diabetes; 24.8% prediabetes). Conclusions: Structured HbA1c screening in 3025 consecutive hospitalised patients across three medical departments in Upper Austria revealed a diabetes prevalence of 27.8% and a prediabetes prevalence of 23.7%. Overall, dysglycaemia was present in 51.5% of hospitalised patients.