The achievement of glycaemic, blood pressure and LDL cholesterol targets in patients with type 2 diabetes attending a South African tertiary hospital outpatient clinic : research

Objectives : To determine differences in the control of multiple diabetes control parameters in a select group of subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) after a four-year follow-up period. Design : Cross-sectional study. Setting and subjects : The initial 2009 study population consisted of 666 T2DM patients of whom only 261 (39.2%) were audited at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. Outcome measures : Using a public sector database, retrospective data were obtained on the treatment of participants with T2DM attending a tertiary care setting and a descriptive analysis was done. Results : The mean age was 64 (SD 10.6) years, women represented 55% of the cohort and the mean duration of diabetes was 16 years (range 2-40 years) in 2013. Fewer patients achieved an HbA1c goal (of < 7%) in 2013 (15.5%) compared with 2009 (25.4%), whilst an additional 13.7% and 25.0% of the 261 patients reached blood pressure targets (< 140/80 mmHg) and LDL-C targets (< 2.5 mmol/L), respectively. Conclusion : Overall, more patients in the study reached blood pressure and LDL-C targets but there were difficulties in achieving optimal glycaemic levels over the four-year period. This study highlights the complexities of managing risk factors in T2DM, especially glucose control.