Clinical Scorecard: Immunization Profile Among Nearly 620,000 Individuals with Diabetes
At a Glance
Category
Detail
Condition
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Key Mechanisms
Increased incidence and severity of infectious diseases leading to higher hospitalization and mortality risk
Target Population
Patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in Lombardy Region, Italy
Care Setting
Regional healthcare system with public vaccination registry and hospital data
Key Highlights
Vaccination coverage among 618,396 diabetic patients was 44.6% for influenza, 10.9% for pneumococcus, 2.5% for meningococcus, and 0.7% for herpes zoster.
Vaccinated diabetic patients showed a twofold reduction in overall mortality risk and decreased hospitalizations, especially for influenza, zoster, and meningococcus vaccines.
Older diabetic patients vaccinated against influenza, zoster, and meningococcus had a threefold lower mortality risk and fewer cardiac and pulmonary hospitalizations.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
Identify patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes using healthcare utilization databases and exemption registries.
Management
Offer seasonal influenza vaccination annually to all patients with diabetes.
Administer pneumococcal (conjugate and polysaccharide), meningococcal (conjugate), and herpes zoster (recombinant) vaccines according to Italian Ministry of Health guidelines.
Promote scaling up immunization coverage (‘vaccinome’) in diabetic patients to reduce mortality and hospitalizations.
Monitoring & Follow-up
Use computerized vaccination registries to track immunization status and coverage rates.
Monitor hospitalizations and mortality outcomes in vaccinated versus unvaccinated diabetic patients.
Risks
Patients with diabetes have increased risk of severe infections including influenza, pneumococcal disease, herpes zoster, and bacterial meningitis.
Low vaccination coverage contributes to higher mortality and hospitalization rates.
Patient & Prescribing Data
618,396 patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in Lombardy Region
Influenza vaccination prevented approximately 3,800 deaths per 100,000 diabetic patients; vaccination against influenza, zoster, and meningococcus significantly reduced mortality and hospitalizations.
Clinical Best Practices
Prioritize annual influenza vaccination for all diabetic patients.
Ensure pneumococcal, meningococcal, and herpes zoster vaccinations are administered according to current guidelines.
Utilize integrated healthcare databases and vaccination registries for comprehensive patient immunization tracking.
Focus on increasing vaccination coverage to meet recommended targets in diabetic populations.
Recognize vaccination as a key intervention to reduce infection-related morbidity and mortality in diabetes.
by Francesca D’Addio, Elisa Lazzaroni, Maria Elena Lunati, Giuseppe Preziosi, Michele Ercolanoni, Giulio Turola, Chiara Marrocu, Giovanni Cicconi, Sudwaric Sharma, Simona Scarioni, Laura Montefusco, Ida Pastore, Paola Silvia Morpurgo, Antonio Rossi, Alessandra Gandolfi, Camilla Tinari, Giada Rossi, Moufida Ben Nasr, Cristian Loretelli, Roberta Maria Fiorina, Baldassarre Grassa, Rosa Terranova, Loredana Bucciarelli, Cesare Berra, Danilo Cereda, Gianvincenzo Zuccotti, Catia Rosanna Borriello, Paolo Fiorina
