Simultaneous control of blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipid among drug‑treated Type 2 diabetes patients from Shaanxi province, North‑Western China: A multicenter study

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the percentage of patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who achieved simultaneous control of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP), and low‑density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‑C) and also to assess its determinants in Shaanxi province, North‑Western China.

Materials and Methods: This cross‑sectional survey was conducted between March and June 2012 in six tertiary hospitals across Shaanxi province. Subjects with known T2DM who had at least one antidiabetic medicine were invited. A questionnaire was used to collect basic information and blood samples were drawn for laboratory measurements. Simultaneous control was defined as HbA1c <7%, BP <130/80 mmHg, and LDL‑C <2.6 mmol/L.

Results: A total of 2274 individuals were included, of which 588 individuals (25.9%) achieved good glycemic control (HbA1c <7%) and only 102 (4.5%) attained simultaneous control. The percentage of individuals (24.2%) achieving simultaneous control increased with less stringent goals (HbA1c <8%, BP <140/90 mmHg, and LDL‑C <2.8 mmol/L). In addition, multivariate analyses showed that body mass index of 24–28 kg/m2 (odds ratio [OR]: 0.577, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.376–0.886), HbA1c above 8% at diagnosis (pooled OR: 0.392, 95% CI: 0.254–0.531), and insulin treatment (pooled OR: 0.412, 95% CI: 0.225–0.594) were the independent predictors of simultaneous control.

Conclusion: Simultaneous control among drug‑treated Type 2 diabetes patients was amazingly low in North‑Western China. Our present study confirmed the gap between guideline and practice and provided evidence of the need for aggressive diabetes management.

Keywords: Blood pressure, China, control, glycated hemoglobin, low‑density lipoprotein cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes mellitus