Medication non-adherence and poor glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

AimsOur main aim was to analyse gender differences in the association of adherence and poor glycaemic control (PGC) in a cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Germany.MethodsBaseline data of the DIANA-study, a prospective cohort study of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in South-West Germany, were analysed. Information on medication adherence and factors related to PGC was obtained by self-administered questionnaire. PGC was defined as HbA1c ≥ 7.5%. Bivariate and multivariate analyses using log-binomial regression were employed to assess overall and gender-specific associations of non-adherence and PGC.Results624 men and 518 women were included in the analyses. In total, 147 men (24%) and 114 women (23%) reported non-adherence to medication. In men, PGC was found in 37% of the participants reporting non-adherence and in 19% reporting adherence (adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.90, 95%-CI: 1.46–2.49). In women, PGC was found in 19% of the participants reporting non-adherence and in 18% reporting adherence (adjusted PR = 0.97, 95%-CI: 0.65–1.46).ConclusionsOur results show gender-specific differences in the association of adherence and PGC. This underlines the need for efforts to improve glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with a particular focus on men.