Decrements in health‐related quality of life associated with adverse events in people with diabetes

Aim To estimate the decrements in health‐related quality of life (QoL) associated with a range of adverse events to inform assessments of the effects of diabetes treatments on QoL in contemporary clinical practice. Methods Participants' QoL utility measures were derived from the five‐level EuroQoL five‐dimensional (EQ‐5D‐5L) questionnaires completed by 11 683 ASCEND participants (76% of 15 480 recruited). EQ‐5D utility decrements associated with cardiovascular (myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, transient ischaemic attack [TIA], ischaemic stroke, heart failure), bleeding (gastrointestinal [GI] bleed, intracranial haemorrhage, other major bleed), cancer (GI tract cancer, non‐GI tract cancer), and microvascular events (end‐stage renal disease [ESRD], amputation) were estimated using a linear regression model following adjustment for participants' sociodemographic and clinical risk factors. Results Amputation was associated with the largest EQ‐5D utility decrement (−0.206), followed by heart failure (−0.185), intracranial haemorrhage (−0.164), GI bleed (−0.091), other major bleed (−0.096), ischaemic stroke (−0.061), TIA (−0.057), and non‐GI tract cancer (−0.026). We were unable to detect decrements in EQ‐5D utility associated with myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, GI tract cancer, or ESRD. EQ‐5D utility was lower at older age, independent of other factors. Conclusion These estimated decrements in QoL associated with cardiovascular, bleeding, cancer, and other adverse events can inform assessments of the overall value of treatments in patients with diabetes.