Investigation of cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes in a rural Australian Division of General Practice.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors for a cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes in general practice.


METHODS
A 4-year retrospective cohort study using extracted data from an active Division of General Practice diabetes register in Australia.


METHODS
628 patients (297 female; 331 male) with type 2 diabetes who participated in the diabetes program of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice and for whom evaluation data were recorded each year from 2002 to 2005.


METHODS
Changes in the following CVD risk factors over time: body mass index (BMI), serum lipid levels (total cholesterol [TC], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], total triglycerides [TG]), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), and glycated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) level.


RESULTS
After adjusting for age, sex, duration and clustering, there was significant improvement in serum lipid levels (TC and LDL-C; P < 0.05) over time; and there was no significant change in BP, HbA(1c) level or BMI. Older patients had significantly worse systolic BP, but significantly better BMI and lipid levels than younger patients. Longer duration of diabetes was associated with worse systolic BP and HbA(1c) level, but better HDL-C level. People with higher BMI were likely to have worse systolic BP, and HDL-C and HbA(1c) levels, but better TC level than those with lower BMI.


CONCLUSIONS
Improving BP, HbA(1c) level and BMI may be more difficult than improving lipid levels. There is a need for more intensive and comprehensive interventions to reduce the total risk of CVD.
Wan
Qing
Q
School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. q.wan@unsw.edu.au
Taggart
Jane
J
Harris
Mark F
MF
Jayasinghe
Upali W
UW
Ruscoe
Warwick
W
Snow
Jill
J
Powell-Davies
Gawaine
G
D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000196:embryology*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors
D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin