PATIENT ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM AS A TOOL TO VALIDATE THE ASCERTAINMENTIN THE DIABETES INCIDENCE STUDY IN SWEDEN (DISS)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of ascertainment in a nationwide prospective registration of incident cases of diabetes mel litus in the age group 15-34 years (The Diabetes Incidence Study in Sw eden (DISS)). Incident cases of diabetes mellitus in DISS during a fiv e year period were compared with inpatients, with the diagnosis of dia betes mellitus, registered in a routine computer-based administrative register, The Patient Administrative System-Inpatient Care (PAS-IC). T o clarify this issue the two-sample capture-recapture phenomena was em ployed in the two southernmost counties in Sweden, Malmohus and Kristi anstad, covering 9.2% of the total of 2.3 million people aged 15-34 ye ars in Sweden. The results showed that the ascertainment level in DISS was 0.86 For insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Hence, the D ISS registry is a valid tool to monitor the incidence of IDDM in young (15-34 years) adult subjects.