The medical records of 173 consecutive patients with diabetes who were newly enrolled in our facility in 1990 were analyzed for blood glucose at 1 year. A total of 81 females and 72 males with non-insulin-dependent diabetes were studied. With regard to overall compliance in keeping clinic appointments, 56 (36.6%) patients were still coming in for follow-up 1 year after the diagnosis of diabetes versus 97 (63.4%) patients who had stopped coming in. Overall, 70 (45.8%) patients had a plasma glucose > 180 mg/dL and had not achieved metabolic control, and 83 (54.2%) patients had a plasma glucose < or = 180 mg/dL and had achieved good metabolic control at their last visit. Most patients with good control (58/153, 69.9%) had stopped coming in by the end of 1 year. Only 25 patients with plasma glucose < or = 180 mg/dL were still coming in for follow-up visits, representing the smallest percentage (16.3%) of the total population studied. At 1 year there also was a correlation between increased body weight and improved glycemic control.