Fernando Gomez-Peralta, Antonio Lopez-Guzman, Manuel Delgado, Rocio Villar-Taibo, Cristina Abreu, Estefanía Santos, Luis Santiago, Victor Puigdeva
Introduction and objectives: Diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1) represents 5–10% of the total prevalence of diabetes. Few studies exist to demographically and clinically describe DM1. Subjects and methods: observational, cross-sectional study of patients with DM1 over 14 years of age treated by hospital endocrinologist. Results: 221 patients (104 men, 37.5 ± 12.7 years) from seven hospitals. Caucasian 97%; Education: primary 22.7%, secondary 48.5%, university 25.3%. Anthropometric data (average ± SD): Weight 70.1 ± 13.7 kg; Height 166.5 ± 8.8 cm; BMI: 25 ± 3.8 kg/m2; Waist circumference: 87.3 ± 18 cm. Family history: DM (46.3%, DM1 28.3%, DM2 71.7%), thyroid disease (17.6%), early CVD (6.5%). Active smoker 20%, ex-smoker 18.6%. DM1 duration: 15.8 ± 10.2 years. Treatment: basal + bolus 74.7%; premixed insulin: 5.7%, basal 2.7%, CSII: 17.1%; metformin: 8.5%; Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) frequency: 3.6 ± 1.4 times/day; Uses insulin/carbohydrates ratio: 38.8%; regular physical activity: 55.6%; Lipid-lowering drugs: 29.1%; antihypertensive agents: 23.5%. Metabolic control: HbA1c = 7.7 ± 1.3% (61 ± 9 mmol/l); Poor adherence to diet (p < 0.001), number of SMBG (p < 0.01) and regular physical activity (p < 0.05) explains 34.2% of the changes in Hb1Ac. Risk of hospital admission is reduced with the use of carbohydrate counting (OR 0.39, p = 0.002) and with the largest number of blood glucose controls (OR 0.65, p = 0.007). Conclusions: More efforts are necessary to improve the overall metabolic control of patients with DM1. Epidemiological studies aimed at DM1 populations are necessary in order to define the necessary resources.
