Glycemic control in diabetic patients in King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) – Riyadh – Saudi Arabia

ObjectivesTo evaluate glycemic control of diabetic patients at the King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.MethodsA cross sectional study was conducted among diabetic patients attending KKUH, Riyadh. Patients were identified through the hospital pharmacy records, over a one year period (January–December, 2009). A total of 20,000 patients were identified, and 1520 patients were selected by a simple random method. Medical charts were reviewed, the data were collected in a specially designed data sheet: and entered in a computer, and finally analyzed using a SPSS program.ResultsAbout 90% of patients were older than 40 years old and 90% were overweight or obese. Fasting blood sugar was above 7.2 mmol/L in 60% of the patients and random blood sugar was more than 10 mmol/L in about 70% of patients. The overall glycemic control as evaluated by HBA1C was acceptable in about 40% of the patients. Cholesterol level was normal in more than 70% of patients while triglyceride was normal in 56% of patients. In about half of the patients systolic blood pressure was not controlled, while in 27% the diastolic blood pressure was above the target level.ConclusionThe control of diabetes and its associated cardiovascular risk factors in this hospital – based survey, in Riyadh is far from optimal. Further studies are needed to find out the possible causes for this defective care of diabetic patients.