Influence of gender on the distribution of type 2 diabetic complications at the obafemi awolowo teaching hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Sex specific differences appear particularly relevant in the management of type 2 DM. OBJECTIVE: We determined gender specific differences in cardio-metabolic risk, microvascular and macrovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Four hundred type 2 diabetes patients, males and females, matched for age and disease duration were recruited from the diabetes clinic. Relevant clinical and laboratory information were obtained or performed. RESULTS: 190(47.5%) were male and 210 (52.5%) were female respectively. The mean age of the study population was 60.6 + 9.93 years. Women had higher prevalence of hypertension (and obesity. Mean total cholesterol was significantly higher in women but men were more likely to achieve LDL treatment goals than women (69.5% vs 59.0%, p<0.05). More women (47.1% & 31.4%) reached glycaemic goals of <10mmol/l for 2HPP and HBA1c of <7.0%. There were no gender differences in the distribution of microvascular and macrovascular complications (p>0.05) but women were more likely to develop moderate and severe diabetic retinopathy (p= 0.027). CONCLUSION: Women with T2DM had worse cardiometabolic risk profile with regards to hypertension, obesity and lipid goals. Men achieved therapeutic goals less frequently than did women in terms of glycaemia. Microvascular and macrovascular complications occurred commonly in both sexes.