[Therapeutic non-compliance with insulin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus 2].

OBJECTIVE

To determine the percentage of therapeutic noncompliance among type 2 diabetes patients on treatment with insulin.

DESIGN

Prospective multicentre study.

SETTING

Nine Primary Care Health Centre in Huelva (Spain).

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 121 type 2 diabetics, who, in the opinion of their doctor, need to start treatment with insulin or have their insulin treatment modified.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS

Five visits were made (enrolment, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months). The variables analysed were, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin, compliance with insulin treatment, measured by counting insulin units. The percentage compliance (PC) was calculated by (PC = Total No. of insulin units expected to be consumed / Total No. of insulin units that should have been taken x 100). A complier was considered as one who achieved a PC between 80 and 100%.

RESULTS

There were 103 evaluable subjects (85.8%) with a mean age of 66.4 (SD 11.6) years, and 45 were male (42.8%). The mean percentage compliance with insulin was 90.9% (95% CI, 84.2-97.6%). At the 6, 12, 18 and 24 months visits it was 92.1% (95% CI, 85.6-98.6%), 92.3, 90.1 and 89.2% (95% CI, 81.7-96.7%), respectively. Overall patient compliance was 74.75% (95% CI, 64.3-85.2%). For the visits, compliance was 82.5% (95% CI, 73.3-91.7%), 77.7%, 73.8% and 71.8% (95% CI, 60.9-82.7%), respectively (P<.05 initial-final).

CONCLUSIONS

A quarter of the diabetic patients did not comply with their insulin treatment.