Prevalence of diabetes treated with drugs in Andalucía. Evolution of the oral antidiabetics and insulin prescription between 1994 and 2000

[corrected] Diabetes is an important, complex, expensive, and increasingly frequent disease. The objective of this study was to investigate the diabetes mellitus prevalence and evolution in the Adalusian population between 1994 and 2000. We used and indirect method for estimating the rate of prevalence of the disease based on antidiabetic drug consumption data at regional level, using the official billing data, and the annual population data. The prevalence estimated for diabetes mellitus in Andalusia was, 4.41%. This prevalence ranged from 2.47% in 1994 up to 4.41% in 2000. Oral antidiabetics/insulin use ratio was 2.31. The study shows an important variability of the prescription habits in diabetic patients in Andalucía. The prevalence observed in diabetes mellitus in Andalucía increased between 1994 and 2000. An important variability was observed among the different provinces.