Long duration of diabetes is associated with inadequate glycemic control and lipid profile

 Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) occurs due to insulin resistance causing improper glucose metabolism and hyperglycemic milieu producing micro and macro vascular complications. Regarding prevalence of diabetes, Saudi Arabia ranks 2nd highest in Middle East countries and 7th in the world. There could be several factors affecting the glycemic control in diabetes. We investigated the role of duration of diabetes in glycemic control and lipid profile of diabetics.

 This cross-sectional study recruited 267 T2DM patients presenting at a Primary Health Care center located in Al-Mansak area of Abha city of Saudi Arabia. Based upon the duration of diabetes patients were divided into group 1 (N = 88, diabetes duration ≤ 5 years), group 2 (N = 84, diabetes duration 5-10 years), and group 3 (N = 95, diabetes duration ≥ 15 years). Patient’s’ demographic data, glycemic control indicators like fasting blood glucose (FBS), random blood glucose (RBS), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, and lipid profile were recorded. Data was statistically analyzed using SPSS software version 20.

 ANOVA showed that there were statistically significant differences in age, FBS, HbA1c, total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) across the three groups. The association for the male gender was also significant. Duration of diabetes had a significant positive correlation with age, FBS, LDL-C, and triglyceride.

 Long duration of diabetes is associated with poor glycemic control and dyslipidemia. Diabetics especially those with long duration must be regularly followed up and monitored for glycemic control and lipid profile to prevent complications in the future.