Glycemic Control and Microvascular Complications of Type 2 Diabetes among Saudis

Objective: To study the relation between level of glycemic control and different micovascular complications of type 2 diabetes among Saudis. Patients and Methods: This hospital-based study analyzed the medical records of 343 type 2 diabetic patients attending the “University Diabetes Center” in “King Abdul-Aziz” University Hospital, in Riyadh City within 2006. Inclusion criteria comprised being adult, Saudi, type 2 diabetic, whose disease duration is more than one year, non-pregnant (for females). Results: Half of patients (50.4%) were not controlled (HbA1c > 8%). Vascular complications of diabetes were mainly retinopathy (45.8%) or neuropathy (32.7%). Prevalence of nephropathy was 9.9%. Patients’ sex, age, marital status and occupation were not significant variables as regard their control of diabetes. Patient’s educational status was significantly associated with degree of diabetes control; the higher the patient’s education the better the glycemic control (p = 0.002). Moreover, the longer the duration of diabetes, the worse the glycemic control (p < 0.001). All patients with manifest diabetes complications had worse glycemic control than those with no complications, including retinopathy (45.9% vs. 52.7%, respectively), neuropathy (38.4% vs. 55%, respectively, p = 0.004) and nephropathy (32.4% vs. 51.5%, p = 0.034). Conclusions: Glycemic control among type 2 diabetics is a real challenge that should the health care team face in tertiary-care diabetes centers in KSA. Microvascular complications are common, especially among poorly controlled cases. Recommendations: The current goal for glycemic control at the University Diabetes Center (HbA1c < 8%) should be revised. Reasons for the high prevalence of failure of diabetes control should be investigated. There should be national campaigns to raise the public awareness as regard diabetes and also screening for hyperglycemia for the sake of early diagnosis of diabetes so as to minimize the incidence of diabetes complications.