[Cross-sectional epidemiological study of clinical profiles and glycemic control in diabetic patients in primary care in Spain (the EPIDIAP study)].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the degree of glycemic control and its associated factors in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) attended by primary care teams in Spain.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional multicenter study was carried out using a structured questionnaire in diabetic patients consecutively attended from January to August 2007. Three groups were assessed: patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) and those with insulin-treated or non-insulin-treated type 2 DM. The diagnosis of DM was established according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria. Good glycemic control was defined as a glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) value
RESULTS: A total of 679 patients were included, classified into type 1 DM (11.5%), insulin-treated type 2 DM (26.2%) and noninsulin-treated type 2 DM (62.3%). The mean age was 65.2+/-13.7 years, 52.4% were women, 35.6% were obese, 86.0%, were dyslipidemic and 78.9% had hypertension. A total of 53.1% (CI: 49.3-56.9) showed good glycemic control (distribution among groups: 31.5%, 32.7% and 65.4%, respectively; p<0.001). Predictive factors for unsatisfactory control were age (odds ratio [OR]=0.984), time from diagnosis (OR=1.033) and insulin treatment (OR=4.054) (p<0.001). Only 3% [corrected] of the individuals achieved all the objectives recommended by the American Diabetes Association.

CONCLUSIONS: Glycemic control in diabetic patients can be improved. Only one in two patients with diabetes attended in primary care is properly controlled. The percentage of patients with satisfactory control in the insulin-treated group (types 1 and 2) was half that in the non-insulin-treated group.