Care for patients with type 2 diabetes in the UAE

In a paper published in the journal JRSM Short Reports, Layla Alhyas and colleagues examined the quality of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) care in Al-Ain, a diabetes centre located in a tertiary care hospital, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They carried out a a retrospective cohort study from 2008 to 2010.

382 Emirates patients with T2DM were included in the analysis. Overall in 2010, proportions of people with T2DM reaching the following targets were: glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 41%, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) 72%, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) 47% and 73%, respectively. There was a significant improvement from 2008 to 2010 in HbA1c, LDL, and SBP control.

Alhyas and colleagues concluded that there had been encouraging progress in diabetes care in Al-Ain, UAE as reflected by the overall improvement in key intermediate outcome measures, exemplified by the increase in the percentage if patients reaching the target for these indicators from 2008 to 2010. There was however still scope for additional enhancement of care, especially for better glycaemic control among young patients and better SBP control among men.

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