Depression and microvascular complications predict poor goal achievement among Colombian patients with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Aims: Many patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2) in Latin American countries remain insufficiently controlled. We aimed to identify factors associated with persistent poor metabolic control in Colombian patients with DM2. Methods: Retrospective one-year follow-up cohort study of adult patients with DM2. The primary outcome was persistent poor metabolic control (PPMC): HbA1c level >8% in all measurements during follow-up. Secondary outcomes were intermittent poor metabolic control (IPMC) and good control (GC: simultaneous achievement of HbA1c, blood pressure and LDL cholesterol goals). Multiple demographic, clinical and laboratory variables were predictors in multivariable logistical models. Results: Of 399 patients included, 50 had the primary endpoint during follow-up. Older age was negatively associated with PPMC (OR 0.40, 95%CI 0.17-0.92 for extreme quartiles), even after multivariate adjustment. Depression and the presence of multiple microvascular complications were strongly associated with the secondary endpoint IPMC (multivariate OR respectively 4.2, 95%CI 1.08-16.4 for depression; 5.61, 95%CI 1.03-30.6 for microvascular complications). Being unemployed was associated with significantly less odds of achieving GC (multivariate OR 0.19, 95%CI 0.04-0.95). Conclusions: Age, depression, the presence of microvascular complications and employment status were associated with the success or failure of diabetes management. These factors were better correlates of therapeutic success than the pharmacological agent employed.

Keywords

• Diabetes
• metabolic control
• HbA1c
• chronic disease
• chronic complications