Open AccessType 1 diabetes care: Improvement by standardization in a diabetes rehabilitation clinic. An observational report
Author(s) -
Helmuth Haslacher,
Hannelore Fallmann,
Claudia Waldhäusl,
Edith Hartmann,
Oswald Wagner,
W. Waldhäusl
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0194135
Subject(s) - medicine , metformin , diabetes mellitus , insulin , observational study , rehabilitation , type 2 diabetes , pediatrics , intensive care medicine , endocrinology , physical therapy
Background T1D treatment requires informed self-responsible patients, who, however, frequently miss their therapeutic goals, providing considerable potential for improvement. Methods This observational report evaluates T1D patients [N = 109], aged ≥18 years (range 22–82), poorly controlled at home, at and 3 weeks after their admission to our diabetes rehabilitation clinic [DRC], where they were offered standardized, but unmonitored life-style modification. Results At admission, patients displayed elevated HbA 1c values (66 mmol/mol [57; 81]), a high prevalence of co-morbidities (88%), lipodystrophies due to monolocal insulin injections (42%), a low rate of influenza (16%) and pneumococcal (7%) immunization, and underuse of lipid-lowering drugs (-38%). Standardization of life-style improved glucose (p<0.0001) and lipid metabolism (LDL/HDL ratio p<0.01) permitting reduction of insulin dose and reduction of add-on glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) other than metformin. Outcome was independent of the mode of insulin treatment strategy and more marked at initially high HbA 1c , with DRC-costs/d less than 25% of those encountered at standard hospitals. Conclusion Type 1 diabetes care requires i) insulin treatment, food intake and life style to be handled in concert, ii) this need cannot be replaced by arbitrary addition of add-on GLDs, and iii) training to this end is 75% cheaper at a DRC than in standard hospitals.