In 2020–21, there were 19,100 emergency department presentations with a principal diagnosis of diabetes.
Emergency departments (EDs) are an essential component of Australia’s health-care system. Many of Australia’s public hospitals have purpose-built EDs, staffed 24 hours a day, providing care for people living with diabetes who require urgent medical, surgical or other attention.
Variation by age and sex
In 2020–21, there were 10,700 (56%) males and 8,400 (44%) females that presented to the ED with a principal diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes or other diabetes. After adjusting for age, the overall rate of presentation for males was 1.3 times as high as the female rate. The rate of diabetes-related ED presentations for females was highest in the 15–19 age group and for males it was highest in the 80–84 age group. Between the ages of 5 and 24, females had a higher rate of presentation but in all other age groups, the rate for males was higher (Figure 1).