Diabcare Asia 2001 - Korea : Country Report on Outcome Data and Analysis

BACKGROUND: The Diabcare-Asia study was designed for the purpose of describing diabetes control and management, and late complication status in the diabetic population. METHODS: From the 1(st) of July 2001 to the 1(st) of September 2001, data from 1170 diabetic patients were collected in 21 centers (one university hospital and 20 clinics located in Seoul and in Gyeonggi, Korea), and blood samples were collected for centralized HbA1c measurements. RESULTS: Only 16.8% of patients at the clinics reported self-monitoring their blood glucose. The mean HbA(1c) was 7.3±1.4% at the hospital and 7.5±1.5% at the clinics, and the mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels were 7.0±3.3 mmol/L at the hospital and 7.9±2.5 mmol/L at the clinics. About 40% of patients had a HbA(1c) and FPG above the normal upper limits. Screening for microalbuminuria was rarely performed. The available data represents only about 0.9% of the patients at the hospital and 12.3% of the patients at the clinics. Nephropathy (serum creatinine >2 mg/dL) was found in 0.8% of the patients at the hospital and in 3.4% of the patients at the clinics. Retinopathy and neuropathy were commonly reported diabetic complications. The prevalence of other severe late complications was relatively low. CONCLUSION: The data revealed suboptimal glycemic control in about 40% of patients.