Corina-Aurelia Zugravu, Anca Stoian, Daniela Patrascu
Background: Diabetes is a major problem of public health through its personal and social dimensions. The treatment of diabetes associated with lifestyle modification and monitoring of laboratory parameters will lead to decrease diabetes complications and associated costs.
Aim & Objectives: The purpose of the present study is to describe the profile of the diabetic patient in Romania, studying the adherence of treatment and self-monitoring of diabetics.
Methods/Study Design: This research is a cross-sectional study, carried out in 2011, February- April.We included in the study a number 477 patients from 10 GPs (Bucharest and Ilfov County) who agreed to cooperate. We colected data from two questionnaires (demographic, diabetes status, self-management activities) and from GPs evidence (treatment, co-morbidities, BMI, blood pressure, lipid profile, HbA1c level).
Results/Findings: More type 2 diabetics had other diseases than type 1 diabetcs (p<0,001) because they are older persons. Over 2/3 of the patients declare to have a good adherence to the medication but the majority had a poor control of the glycaemia (HbA1c level). The HbA1c value differences were non-significant between type 1 and type 2 diabetics. Complications score was highly correlated with HbA1c value and with adherence to the treatment. The strongest factor related with a better HbA1c value is, as expected, the special diet for diabetics (p=0,021).
Conclusion: The average HbA1c is over what is considered as adequate and, obviously, the number and the extent of complications, high, in spite of the declared good coping with the medication program. A better and closer follow up and monitoring of diabetic patients, a tighter schedule of consultations with the GP and specialist, the onset of a program of support carried out by trained nurses could be answers to serious inadequate behaviors..
