P2-290 Socioeconomic status and mortality among people with diabetes mellitus in Latvia

Introduction The chronic course of the disease and regular need for healthcare suggests that people with diabetes mellitus might be more affected by the socioeconomic inequalities in health. We assessed whether socioeconomic differences exist in mortality of diabetes patients in Latvia. Methods The study population consisted of 4179 diabetes patients (1339 men and 2840 women) participating in the Latvian diabetes survey in 2000. All deaths (n=1771) during a subsequent ten-year period and causes of death were identified through the Causes of Death Data Base. The Cox model was used to test associations (HR (95% CI) presented) between education, income and residence (rural/urban) and mortality…