Neighborhood deprivation and inequities in coronary heart disease among patients with diabetes mellitus: A multilevel study of 334,000 patients

We used multilevel models to investigate whether the odds of coronary heart disease (CHD) is higher in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) living in deprived neighborhoods versus those living in wealthy neighborhoods. The Swedish nationwide prescription register was used to identify 334,000 patients aged 30 years and older with DM. The OR of CHD was significantly higher among patients with DM living in deprived neighborhoods than among patients with DM living in wealthy neighborhoods. These findings are useful for clinicians working in deprived neighborhoods. Future research could focus on how to reduce inequities in CHD among patients with DM. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.