Our study of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus residing in the Paris a
rea (Ile-de-France) aged 70 years or younger included 1 591 patients examin
ed by national health insurance expert physicians who also filled out a sel
f-administrated questionnaire. Their primary care physicians also answered
a questionnaire (79% participation, indicating their personal implication).
We found that diabetes was most often discovered during regular check-ups.
Single-drug regimens were the most widely used. Sulfamides were prescribed
for 77% of the patients. Among the 912 patients who were overweight(BMI >
28 Kg/m2), 34.3% were taking sulfamides alone despite the fact that metform
ine is recommended as the first intention drug for these patients. Blood pr
essure central was not satisfactory in 30% of the patients who were treated
or not for high blood pressure. This proportion rose to about 50% among tr
eated patients alone. The patients appeared to be knowledgeable about the r
isk of complications, particularly ocular complications. They were aware of
a certain number of messages but the results would suggest difficulty in a
pplication.