Research report claims Chinese diabetics fail in risk control

Most Chinese people with diabetes fail to reach the control targets on weight, glucose level, blood pressure, cholesterol level and lifestyle, indicating that the risk control of Chinese diabetics is not satisfactory, according to a research jointly conducted by experts from Shanghai and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Diabetes is a chronic disease with the quickest increase of patients globally, and one of the major reasons causing cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputation. There are 540 million adults with diabetes in the world, with Chinese people covering one fourth of the total amount.

There are nearly 140 million adults with diabetes in China, costing 1 trillion yuan (US$139.5 billion) in medical expenses each year on the disease.

However, the huge public, medical investment and development of new drugs have failed to control the condition. The glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol targets for diabetics in many countries fail to meet standards.

Conducted by experts from the School of Public Health of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Chinese CDC, it is the first research studying the risk factor control of Chinese diabetics, providing evidence and analyzing the reasons why the disease is currently not under control.

According to the research, only one third of Chinese diabetics have kept their BMI within the healthy data, only 4.4 percent of patients meet all three targets of glucose level, blood pressure and cholesterol level. The control of blood pressure and cholesterol is lower than the glucose target.

As for lifestyle, one fourth of patients still smoke, one third continue to drink alcohol, half the patients don't get enough sleep, four fifths don't have enough physical exercise and most people fail to meet the standard for a healthy and balanced diet.

In addition to studies, experts also provide suggestions on how to solve problems with individualized management, and give patients comprehensive treatment with medicine and non-medicinal measures like healthy lifestyle guidance as well as knowledge, skills, tools and scientific methods to support treatment. The medical insurance policies must also make adjustments to better protect and guide Chinese diabetics.

The research was published by world-leading journal Annals of Internal Medicine on Tuesday.