DIABETES CARE IN SOUTH ASIAN AND WHITE EUROPEAN PATIENTS WITH TYPE-2 DIABETES

Aspects of diabetes care in South Asian and white European patients wi th Type 2 diabetes attending a hospital review clinic were explored. A mong the clinic population of 1710 patients, 258 (15 %) were of South Asian origin. A significantly greater proportion (95 % CI for differen ce in proportions 8-22 %) of these patients was treated with oral hypo glycaemic drugs than in white Europeans, in whom there was a correspon dingly greater proportion receiving insulin treatment. In a case-contr ol study, where 154 patients in each racial group were stratified acco rding to treatment regimen, significantly more South Asian patients (1 3/30 vs 6/30, p<0.05) on insulin were treated with a once-daily regime n. Despite these observed differences in treatment of diabetes, glycae mic control was no worse in South Asian patients when compared to thei r white European counterparts. South Asian diabetic patients attending hospital diabetes clinics in the UK can experience similar levels of glycaemic control to white Europeans.