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Sunday 23 February 2014

Recent Progress in Diabetes Control

A National Diabetes Audit of registered diabetics in England and Wales has been published every year since 2004. The published audits are available from


Unfortunately the format of the presentation of the audit findings makes a study of the progress made in diabetes control difficult. Examples regarding HbA1c include:

Some years include the aggregate of England and Wales.
Some years include England and Wales separately.
Some years include the aggregate of Type 1 and Type 2.
Some years include Type 1 and Type 2 separately.
Some years include an HbA1c of 6.5%
Some years include an HbA1c of 7.5%

The following table is compiled from the audit of 2011 – 2012 available from:


The table shows the % of diabetics (in England and Wales) failing to achieve an HbA1c of 6.5% (the “old” NHS treatment target) and an HbA1c of 10% (a level at which there is serious risk of diabetic complications).


2010
2011
2012
Type1  6.5%
92.9
93.2
93.5
10.0%
16.8
17.6
18.1




Type 2  6.5%
73.3
73.6
73.8
10.0%
6.6
7.0
7.2

I have not tested the statistical significance of the slight increase in the % for each type and each level over recent years but it is perhaps safe to say diabetes control is not improving.

Interested readers might like to consider why diabetes control is not improving. 


John

5 comments:

Beachbag said...

"Recent Progress In Diabetes Control"
Ummmm... What progress might that be? :(

Anonymous said...

Diabetes control is not improving, the advice that most diabetics are given does not do enough to achieve this. It is clear that a diabetic must do his/her own research if they want to control their blood sugar numbers and reduce the risk of diabetic complications.

Jean

Lowcarb team member said...

Once again these figures give pause for thought.

Thanks John.....

All the best Jan





Lynda said...

I've been having ongoing "discussions" on a local message board about diabetes control. The incredibly negative attitude given to me by so called "experts" on that board is astounding. I've suggested not only low carb eating but testing blood sugar levels after having a meal to see the effect. That way, I argued, the person would have a better idea of what food is causing the problem. Pretty simple I would have thought? No. The resounding opinion was let the HbA1c be the indicator!! OK so how is that going to help a person with a high result? How on earth will they know what to change?

I've given up on that board - I was called a zealot and a cultist... no wonder blood sugar numbers are not being controlled. If a person thinks it is OK to have bread or cereal then of course they'll have it! What a nonsense of a world we live in.

Lowcarb team member said...

Nice work John. We know these grim numbers off by heart, but this new way you have posted the grim data, hits home hard.

Also this data talks in percentages. The actual total number of diabetics in trouble goes for ever upward.

Very grim indeed, yet still the NHS and DUK stick to methods of abject failure, will it ever be thus ?

Eddie