Prevalence of type 2 diabetes among persons with disabilities in the South-East Asian region: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a major public health burden in the South-East Asian region. Persons with disabilities have a higher predilection for developing type 2 diabetes. Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among persons with physical, development, sensory, and psychiatric disabilities in the South-East Asian regional countries. Methods: The Medline database was searched through PubMed using a specifically developed search strategy to identify observational studies that looked at the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among persons with various types of disabilities. Specific inclusion–exclusion criteria were used to shortlist the most relevant studies. The AXIS tool was used to assess the risk of bias in the identified studies. Data were extracted from the final list of studies and meta-analyzed using a random-effects model. Forest plot was used to study the pooled estimate and funnel plot was studied to assess publication bias. Subgroup analysis of prevalence of diabetes among persons with psychiatric and physical disabilities was performed. Results: A total of 771 papers were identified for screening. Of them, 740 were excluded and 31 were included in the full-text review. Finally, 12 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes among persons with disabilities was 12.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.8%–16.8%). The studies showed a wide heterogeneity. The funnel plot did not show any publication bias. Subgroup analysis showed that while the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in persons with psychiatric disabilities was 14.0% (95% CI: 9%–18.9%), it was 10.6% (95% CI: 3.6%–17.6%) among persons with other forms of physical disabilities. Conclusion: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is high among persons with disabilities. There is a need for well-conducted systematic studies in the South-East Asian region on prevalence of type 2 diabetes among persons with disabilities.