Factors Associated with Diabetic Complication Index among Type 2 Diabetes Patients: Focusing on Regular Outpatient Follow-up and HbA1c Variability

Purpose: Preventing diabetic complications involves regular outpatient follow-up and maintaining low variability in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. This study investigated the factors associated with diabetic complications, with a specific focus on the impact of regular outpatient follow-up and HbA1c variability, among patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: The study design was secondary data analysis of electronic medical records from a university hospital in Korea. It included patients aged 40-79 with type 2 diabetes who were prescribed diabetes medication within three months of their first HbA1c test by an endocrinologist and were followed up for at least five years. Follow-up regularity, adjusted standard deviation of HbA1c levels, and diabetic complication indices were collected. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test, independent t-test, repeated measures analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The study included 1566 patients. Lower follow-up regularity was observed in patients of older age, with comorbidities, diabetic complications, insulin treatment, a history of hospitalization, lower baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and total cholesterol (TC), and higher HbA1c variability. Higher HbA1c variability was observed in younger patients without comorbidity but with insulin treatment, a history of hospitalization, higher baseline blood glucose (BG), HbA1c, TC, and triglyceride levels. HbA1c variability had the strongest influence on BG and HbA1c levels at the five-year follow-up. Baseline eGFR and TC were the most influential factors for their respective levels at the five-year followup. Follow-up regularity significantly affected BG, HbA1c, eGFR, and TC at five-year follow-up. Conclusions: It has been shown that several variables besides regular follow-up and HbA1c variability have an influence. However, these are the two that can be corrected through nursing intervention and are important, so intervention on these is important. (c) 2023 Korean Society of Nursing Science. Published by Elsevier BV. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).