Control of cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes in a specialized diabetic clinic

Abstract

Background. Achieving an adequate control of glycaemic and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) is essential in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, several studies have shown that the percentage of patients achieving these goals is scarce. We evaluated the degree of control of CVRFs target goals in T2DM patients who regularly attend a specialized diabetic clinic. Methods. We studied T2DM patients who attended the specialized Diabetic Unit at the Department of Endocrinology of Clínica Universidad de Navarra with a minimum follow-up of one year. Clinical characteristics, chronic complications and treatments were collected and patients were classified into groups according to the fulfilment of target glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), LDL cholesterol and blood pressure (BP) levels, predefined according to the presence of different comor-bidities and the duration of T2DM. Results. We analysed 137 patients (75% men) with T2DM, with an average age of 67 years and a 12.7 year duration of diabetes. During follow-up, 83.9% of the patients were within the individualized HbA1c target, 76.6% considering BP and 67.2% in terms of LDL-cholesterol. In addition, 68% had concomitantly the three main variables within the target. Conclusions. In our population of T2DM, HbA1c, LDL cholesterol and BP targets were achieved in a substantial proportion of patients (67-91%). Perhaps the intense and individualized care offered through a specialized diabetes unit may explain these results.