Table 1. Demographics and Clinical Characteristics of Veterans with Diabetes by Limited Life Expectancy Status.
| Limited Life Expectancy Status* | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| Characteristics | No (n = 859,612) | Yes (n = 29,016) | p-value |
| Male, n (%) | 838,676 (97.6) | 28,368 (97.8) | 0.03 |
| Mean age (SD), y | < 0 .001 | ||
| < 65 | 396,868 (46.2) | 12,688 (43.7) | |
| 65-74 | 227,230 (26.4) | 7,371 (25.4) | |
| >/=75 | 235,514 (27.4) | 8,957 (30.9) | |
| Race, n (%) | |||
| Black | 119,352 (13.9) | 5,012 (17.3) | < 0.001 |
| Non-black | 668,084 (77.7) | 22,893 (78.9) | |
| Unknown | 72,176 (8.4) | 1,111 (3.8) | |
| VA priority group, n (%) | |||
| 1,4 (high disability) | 206,808 (24.1) | 11,455 (39.5) | < 0.001 |
| 2,3,6 (low/moderate disability) | 159,062 (18.5) | 4,071 (14.0) | |
| 5 (low income) | 266,472 (31.0) | 10,078 (34.7) | |
| 7,8 (lowest priority) | 227,270 (26.4) | 3,412 (11.8) | |
| Mean DCG Relative Risk Score (SD) | 1.45 (2.18) | 7.14 (6.17) | < 0.001 |
| Insulin use, n (%) | 152,738 (17.8) | 6,876 (23.7) | < 0.001 |
| Mean HbA1c test days (SD) | 2.1 (1.3) | 2.3 (1.6) | < 0.001 |
| Mean VA primary care visits within 1 year prior to index (SD) | 4.0 (3.4) | 6.2 (5.0) | < 0.001 |
| Limited life expectancy diagnosis, n (%) | |||
| Primary/metastatic cancers | 11,118 (38.3) | ||
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 6,875 (23.7) | ||
| Dementia | 8,891 (30.6) | ||
| End-stage liver disease | 2,781 (9.6) | ||
| Congestive heart failure | 1,666 (5.7) | ||
VA = Veterans Administration; DCG = Diagnostic Cost Group; HbA1c = hemoglobin A1c
*
Limited life expectancy status determined by condition-specific algorithms for congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, end-stage liver disease, and certain primary or metastatic cancers.