title: Evolution of diabetes management in the 21st century: the contribution of quality of life measurement in Asians.
abstract: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex and chronic disease with multiple complications leading to increased mortality and poor quality of life. Current studies have shown that lowering glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) confers protection against microvascular complications. However, with more intensive glucose control to achieve HbA1c of less than 6.5%, there seems to be a significant increased risk of mortality and cardiovascular events. The current recommendation worldwide is for "tailoring" of DM management to risk and also quality of Life (QOL) which is a crucial component in determining the success or failure of DM management. In Asia, DM has become a health crisis but there is a lack of QOL assessment tool that is specific for Asians with wide spectrum of ethnicity, languages, religions and socio-economic differences. In this review, we discuss the evolution of DM management over the decade and the issues pertaining to QOL among people living with diabetes in Asia.
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Shereen Giap Kah
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Goh
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Bin Nordin
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Rusli
authors.affiliation: Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Email: khalid.kadir@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Bin Abdul Kadir
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Khalid
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia; D017281:Cost of Illness; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin