Current practice in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE To gather data on current practices in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Saudi Arabia and to evaluate the degree of compliance with international guidelines. METHODS This paper represents the results of the Saudi Arabia T2DM data collected at the cross-sectional part of Wave 2006 of the International Diabetes Management Practices Study (IDMPS). Data were collected on a case report form from 28 health centers all over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the period between 01/12/2006 and 30/12/2006. It included demographic and socioeconomic profile in addition to diabetes management and metabolic control. RESULTS Three hundred and fifty-three Saudi T2DM diabetic patients were studied. The mean age was 51.61+/-10.84 years; average duration of diabetes was 8.25+/-6.49 years; 63-86% had never been screened for diabetes complications or cardiovascular risk factors during the previous year. Of all patients with T2DM, 7% were treated with insulin alone, 28% with oral glucose lowering drug (OGLD) + insulin and 64% with OGLD alone. The average last hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was 8.20+/-1.89% and among all patients, only 27% had reached the target HbA1c of <7% while 42% of patients had been considered as reached glycemic control by physicians. Sixteen percent attained the target blood pressure of <130/80, and 65% had lipid profile above the optimal level. CONCLUSION The majority of patients did not attain the recommended target glycemic level. This indicates the presence of a gap between recommendations of the international guidelines and the actual practices.