Diabetes Care Austria 2009: Register an allgemeinmedizinischen Ordinationen für PatientInnen mit Typ 2 Diabetes mellitus in Österreich

Abstract

Diabetes Care Austria was a nationwide data acquisition of type 2 diabetes treatment at Austrian general practitioners. A total of 5,385 general practitioners were contacted in the end of 2009; finally, 101 agreed to participate in the data collection. Out of all 9 Austrian provinces, a cross-sectional sample of 1.513 type 2 diabetic patients was investigated. Demographic data, diabetes treatment, quality of diabetes control as well as micro- and macrovascular complications were analysed with respect to diabetes duration, categorised into 6 classes. A total of 1.513 type 2 diabetic patients with a mean age of 65.4 ± 10.7 years and a mean diabetes duration of 8.7 ± 7.3 years were analysed. Metformin was equally used in more than 50% of patients in all classes of diabetes duration. The use of sulfonylureas was significantly (p < 0.001) increased from 25% in patients with a diabetes duration of less than 3 years to more than 40% in subjects with a disease duration of longer than 15 years. The prescription of glitazones was significantly (p = 0.02) augmented with increasing diabetes duration. DPP-4 inhibitors were used in more than 5% of patients with a maximum of 13% in subjects with a diabetes duration of 4-9 years (p < 0.001). The mean HbA1c was below 7.5% in all classes and was significantly (p < 0.01) the lowest with 7.0 ± 1.2% in patients with the shortest diabetes duration when compared to all other categories. Diabetes Care Austria yielded representative data for diabetes therapy of type 2 diabetic patients treated by general practitioners. Diabetes treatment was successful, as proven by a mean HbA1c value of 7.2%. An insulin therapy was initialised late, but was nevertheless effective as shown by comparable HbA1c values in patients with a diabetes duration of 4 to more than 15 years.