title: Assessment of long-term glycaemic control in diabetic patients attending Port Moresby General Hospital.
abstract: Good glycaemic control is important in preventing the acute and long-term complications of diabetes mellitus. We assessed long-term glycaemic control using glycosylated haemoglobins in 83 diabetic patients, of mean age 47 years and of mean known duration 4.5 years, attending Port Moresby General Hospital over a one-year period. Significant improvement in glycaemic control was observed in only 11 (13%) of the patients. Glycaemic control worsened in 13 (16%) and no change was observed in the remainder (71%). Mean glycosylated haemoglobin and fasting plasma glucose levels were similar at the beginning and end of the study period. Over a one-year period 53 patients (64%) exhibited poor control with mean glycosylated haemoglobin levels exceeding 10%. Among the 19 newly diagnosed diabetic patients (23% of the total) glycaemic control improved in only 2 (11%). Glycaemic control was not influenced by sex, treatment, obesity or duration of diabetes. The demonstration of poor metabolic control in the majority of patients suggests that urgent measures are needed to reevaluate the management of diabetic patients, particularly with respect to education and diet. This may improve the poor survival rates reported in diabetic patients from Papua New Guinea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby.
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Erasmus
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Sinha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001786:Blood Glucose; D003906:Developing Countries; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009512:New Guinea; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin