title: Characteristics of Type 2 diabetic patients cared for by general practitioners either with medical nutrition therapy alone or with hypoglycaemic drugs.
abstract: The essential role of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for people with diabetes is widely recognised, and its exclusive use is recommended in mild diabetes according to a stepwise therapeutic approach. We describe the characteristics of MNT-treated Type 2 diabetic patients (vs drugs) cared for by general practitioners (GPs) in order to check that appropriate differences did exist between the two groups, by auditing the data from our local shared-care program for diabetes. We had 16,000 diabetic patients (out of 630,000 inhabitants); 6,800 of them (42.5%) cared for by GPs. Thirty-one percent (2,079 out of 6,800 patients cared for by GPs) were treated with MNT and 69% with drugs. The MNT-treated patients (vs drugs) were younger (66.1 +/- 10.7 vs 67.7 +/- 11.0 yr, p<0.01), had shorter disease duration (8.2 +/- 6.6 vs 11.2 +/- 7.6 yr, p<0.01), lower HbA1c (7.0 +/- 1.1 vs 7.8 +/- 1.6%, p<0.01) and body mass index (BMI) (28.6 +/- 4.6 vs 29.0 +/- 4.9 kg/m2, p<0.01). They had less prevalence of high blood triglycerides (25.4% vs 29.0%, p<0.01). MNT-treated patients had less micro-albuminuria (5.3% vs 8.8%, p<0.01); less retinopathy both non-proliferant (6.5% vs 11.1%, p<0.01), and pre-proliferant (6.8% vs 12.7%, p<0.01), and proliferant (7.0% vs 12.9%, p<0.01); less peripheral neuropathy (3.9% vs 8.3%, p<0.01); and diabetic foot (1.0% vs 2.0%, p<0.01). They had less chronic heart failure (2.7% vs 4.6%, p<0.01), and claudicatio intermittens (3.3% vs 5.3%, p<0.01). In conclusion, the Type 2 diabetic patients cared for by GPs using MNT appropriately had a less severe form of diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Health Care, CeVEAS, Modena, Italy. a.ciardullo@ausl.mo.it
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Ciardullo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunetti
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Daghio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bevini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feltri
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Novi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Nardo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menna
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Magrini
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000453:epidemiology; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000453:epidemiology; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000453:epidemiology; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D014280:Triglycerides