# Comorbidity Prevalence in Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Predominantly Hispanic U.S.–Mexico Border Population

## TL;DR

This study compares health conditions in people with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in a U.S.-Mexico border population, finding fewer comorbidities in those with prediabetes.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into comorbidity differences between prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in a predominantly Hispanic population.

## Key findings

- Prediabetes was associated with lower prevalence of circulatory, genitourinary, respiratory, and other diseases compared to type 2 diabetes.
- Prediabetes showed higher prevalence of musculoskeletal, ear, eye, and neoplastic conditions compared to type 2 diabetes.
- Preventing prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes may reduce comorbid disease burden.

## Abstract

Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes are associated with a higher risk of several health conditions. We conducted a cross-sectional study to compare the prevalence of comorbidities among 88,724 adults with prediabetes and 12,071 adults with type 2 diabetes in El Paso, Texas, using data from the Paso del Norte Health Information Exchange (PHIX) from 1 January 2021, to 31 January 2023. We estimated prevalence ratios (aPR) adjusted for age decade, gender, and Hispanic ethnicity. Individuals with prediabetes, compared to type 2 diabetes, had lower adjusted prevalence of circulatory (59.1% vs. 80.4%; aPR = 0.82 [95% CI: 0.81–0.84]), genitourinary (44.9% vs. 50.5%; aPR = 0.97 [0.96–0.99]), respiratory (32.0% vs. 35.7%; aPR = 0.94 [0.92–0.97]), neurological (27.4% vs. 32.8%; aPR = 0.91 [0.88–0.94]), blood (21.2% vs. 30.5%; aPR = 0.77 [0.75–0.80]), mental (19.5% vs. 26.1%; aPR = 0.72 [0.69–0.75]), infectious (12.8% vs. 21.5%; aPR = 0.63 [0.60–0.66]), skin (12.2% vs. 14.8%; aPR = 0.82 [0.78–0.86]), and COVID-19 (10.2% vs. 11.9%; aPR = 0.86 [0.81–0.91]) diseases/conditions. Adjusted prevalence was higher among those with prediabetes for musculoskeletal (53.8% vs. 47.0%; aPR = 1.19 [1.17, 1.21]), ear (18.4% vs. 12.9%; aPR = 1.54 [1.47–1.60]), eye (11.1% vs. 7.8%; aPR = 1.52 [1.43, 1.61]), digestive (44.0% vs. 44.0%; aPR = 1.02 [1.00–1.05]), and neoplastic (14.4% vs. 14.5%; aPR = 1.12 [1.06–1.17]) diseases/conditions. People with prediabetes in El Paso, Texas, had a lower prevalence of most comorbidities than those with type 2 diabetes, suggesting that preventing prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes could have a beneficial impact on comorbid disease burden.