Factors Related to Poor Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetic Outpatients in a Medical Center

Abstract

Purpose. Educating patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is an important part of successful treatment. Identifying disease-related characteristics of DM will enable health-care providers to better select patients for compensatory intervention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics related to glycemic control in patients with type 2DM. Methods Data were collected from questionnaires administered at our out-patient clinic from April to May 2001. Patients included in this study had to be over 30 years of age and were required to undergo a minimum follow-up period of 6 months at our out-patient clinic. The glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(subscript 1c)) value obtained from 2 months preceding the study visit to 1 month afterward was used as measurement of short-term glycemic control (HbA(subscript 1c)-S). The mean HbA(subscript 1c) value and at least one other HhA(subscript 1c) value obtained 3 months from the HbA(subscript 1c)-S in the year preceding the visit was used as measurement of long-term glycemic control (HbA(subscript 1c)-L). Results. Of the 1081 questionnaires collected, 136 were eliminated because of incomplete data, resulting in a final study population of 945. long duration of DM, illiteracy, either insulin therapy alone or in combination with oral hypoglycemic agents, and self-monitoring of blood glucose were significant factors (p＜0.05) related to inferior short-term glycemic control (R^2=12.96%). Significant factors related to poor long-term glycemic control included the duration of DM, illiteracy, either insulin therapy alone or in combination with oral hypoglycemic agents, self-monitoring of blood glucose, and lack of exercise (R^2=15.51%). Conclusions Type 2 diabetic patients with a long duration of DM and who are illiterate need more intensive intervention. Oral hypoglycemic agents are more appropriate than insulin.