Is glycemia control in Canadians with diabetes individualized? A cross-sectional observational study

Objective: Diabetes guidelines recommend individualized glycemic targets: tighter control in younger, healthier patients and consideration of more moderate control in the elderly and those with coexisting illnesses. Our objective was to examine whether glycemic control varied by age and comorbidities in Canadian primary care.

Research design and methods: Cross-sectional study using data from the electronic medical records of 537 primary care providers across Canada; 30 416 patients with diabetes, aged 40 or above, with at least one encounter and one hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) measurement between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2013. The outcome was the most recent HbA1c, categorized into three levels of control: tight (<7.0% or <53 mmol/mol), moderate (7.0%-8.5%, 53 mmol/mol-69.5 mmol/mol) and uncontrolled (>8.5% or >69.5 mmol/mol). We adjusted for several factors associated with glycemic control including treatment intensity.

Results: Younger patients (aged 40-49) were more likely to have moderate as opposed to tight control than the older patients (aged 80+) (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.49, p=0.001). The youngest were also more likely to have uncontrolled as opposed to moderately controlled glycemia (OR 3.39; 95% CI 2.75 to 4.17, p<0.0001). Patients with no or only one comorbidity were more likely to have moderate as opposed to tight control than those with three or more comorbidities (OR 1.66;95% CI 1.46 to 1.90, p<0.0001).

Conclusions: Levels of glycemic control, given age and comorbidities appear to differ from guideline recommendations. Research is needed to understand these discrepancies and develop methods to assist providers in personalizing glycemic targets.