Cohort profile: The MULTI sTUdy Diabetes rEsearch (MULTITUDE) consortium.

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases
• Public Health and Epidemiology
• Biostatistics and Data Science

Background:

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevalence has nearly doubled globally since 1980, affecting over 422 million adults.
• Understanding T2DM determinants, risk factors, and outcomes is crucial for public health initiatives.
• The MULTI sTUdy Diabetes rEsearch (MULTITUDE) consortium was formed to address this need by pooling data from multiple studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a harmonized, individual-level pooled database from 17 independent cohort studies and clinical trials on T2DM.
• To facilitate a deeper understanding of the determinants, risk factors, and outcomes associated with T2DM.
• To enable research into T2DM incidence, progression, and associated mortality across diverse populations.

Main Methods:

• Pooled individual-level data from 135,156 participants across 45 US states and the District of Columbia.
• Data includes demographics, comorbidities, medications, clinical laboratory values, and cardiac health measures.
• Analysis of baseline characteristics, including T2DM diagnosis, age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking status, and BMI.

Main Results:

• 24.7% (33,421) of participants were diagnosed with T2DM at baseline, with an average age of 64.2 years.
• Non-white individuals represented a higher proportion (40%) of those with T2DM compared to the total participant pool (31.6%).
• Over 85% of participants with T2DM were overweight or obese, compared to 60.7% without T2DM; observed differences in all-cause mortality by T2DM status.

Conclusions:

• The MULTITUDE consortium provides a unique, large-scale resource for T2DM research.
• The data will enable investigations into T2DM incidence, progression, and the sequence of events preceding diagnosis.
• Future research will focus on disease progression, complications, premature mortality, and race/ethnicity disparities in T2DM.