Clinical and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Patients with Diabetes in Primary Care Services

Abstract

Aims: To establish the sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, and epidemiological profile of the population with diabetes served in a primary care unit in Mexico City. Study Design:  A population-based, cross-sectional, and an analytical investigation was designed using a previously published secondary dataset. Place and Duration of Study: Ambulatory Care Medical Unit. The study was conducted from January 1st to July 31st, 2025, with Mexican patients attending outpatient consultations in the Family Medicine Specialty and General Medicine departments at the "División del Norte" Family Medicine Clinic, ISSSTE, in Mexico City, Mexico. The data was collected from January to December, 2022. Methodology: Data on health and sociodemographic variables were collected through a retrospective design, using medical records from the Medical Financial Information System “SIMEF system”. Results: We included 3,556 patients with diabetes, mainly females (n=2,086; 58.7%) and people in their sixties (n=1,148; 32.3%). The average age was 64.39 years old (SD=12.26, median age=65 [IQR=56-73]). Females predominated in most age groups (p = 0.010), especially in their 60–69 years old group (658 versus 490). In contrast, males outnumbered females in the adolescent group (10–19 years old, 7 versus 9). In overall population, the five most prevalent comorbidities were: hypertension (59.81%; 58.16-61.44), dyslipidaemias (24.1%; 22.5-25.5), obesity (23.7%; 22.2-25.1), hypothyroidism (8.38%; 7.45-9.34), and venous insufficiency (7.73%; 6.86-8.69). In adolescence, obesity predominates. In early adulthood (20–39 years old) and midlife (40–59 years old), a cardiometabolic triad of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and obesity emerges. In midlife females, this triad is often compounded by hypothyroidism, whereas males show an earlier onset of chronic kidney disease. In the elderly population (60–79 years old), multimorbidity peaks, with hypertension affect most patients alongside frequent dyslipidaemia, obesity, kidney disease, venous insufficiency, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In advanced age (≥80 years old), multimorbidity shifts to a geriatric profile dominated by disorders affecting mobility, functionality, and autonomy, alongside cardiometabolic disease. Conclusion: Overall, the global profile indicates that females tend to concentrate cardiometabolic risk during midlife, often compounded by endocrine comorbidities, whereas males exhibit earlier and more persistent accumulation of renal and cardiovascular damage, with additional respiratory and prostatic morbidity emerging in later life. These findings underscore the need for life-course, sex-sensitive, and multidisciplinary approaches to diabetes management.