Metabolic syndrome and atherosclerotic risk factors as determinants of blood sugar control in diabetic patients: a retrospective cohort study

To examine the effects of metabolic syndrome and atherosclerotic risk factors on blood sugar control in diabetic patients. This present retrospective cohort study of two hundreds of medical records of diabetes patients treated at the outpatient internal medicine department during the year 2006-2007. Data were collected using a case record form containing biochemical profile characteristics of patients and metabolic components by the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The affecting factors to optimal treatment were analyzed to give descriptive (percent = %, mean, SD, median, range) and inferential statistics (odds ratio = OR). There were 200 diabetic patients included in the present study with males of 30.5% and females of 69.5%. Patients who have a higher number of components of criteria of metabolic syndrome tend to have difficulties in controlling their blood sugar (OR for 4 vs. < 3 components: 4.78 95% CI = 1.14-19.97). Patients with younger age groups are more likely to fail to control their blood sugar with OR of 3.87 (95% CI = 1.53-9.76). Diabetic patients who have higher components of metabolic syndrome and younger age tend to have difficulties in controlling their blood sugar. However, the association between having atherosclerotic risk factors and outcome of blood sugar control is inconclusive and needs further studies with a larger sample size.