Study of type 2 diabetes management among patients in a Macau primary care setting

BACKGROUND: In the primary care setting in Macau, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the seventh most common reason for consultation. Inadequate glycaemic control constitutes a major public health problem and is associated with premature death and disability and decreased quality of life. Moreover, this condition substantially increases healthcare expenditures. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to assess the successful glycaemic control rates, blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol control rates in patients with T2DM in a Macau primary care setting. The secondary objective of this study was to assess the delay of insulin initiation in the Sao Lourence Health Center. METHODS: Patients were stratified according to age (<65 years vs ≥65 years) and sex. Successful glycaemic control was defined as glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) <7%. Successful cholesterol control was defined as a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level <2.6 mmol/L, and BP control was defined as BP <140/90 mm Hg. RESULTS: Among the 2157 participants included in this study, 1046 (48.5%) patients had HbA1c <7%, 1209 (56.1%) patients had BP <140/90 mm Hg and 1244 (57.7%) patients had LDL-C <2.6 mmol/L. In conclusion, only 403 (18.7%) patients met the targets for all three measures. Of the 235 patients who were on insulin therapy, the mean (±SD) duration from T2DM diagnosis to insulin initiation was 7.47±6.52 years, the mean (±SD) duration from HbA1c not meeting the target (HbA1c ≥7% over 1 year and persistently) to insulin initiation was 3.34±3.66 years and the mean baseline HbA1c was 9.13%. Compared with patients with a longer duration (≥5 years) of HbA1c not meeting the target before insulin initiation, those who started insulin within 1 year of HbA1c not meeting the target had a better glycaemic control rate (40.7% vs 13%). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of the patients at Sao Lourence Health Center, a primary care centre in Macau, met the glycaemic control target, but less than one-fifth of patients met all three targets for T2DM control. Moreover, there was a delay in insulin initiation for people with T2DM.