A recent survey of 500 Type 2 diabetes patients revealed startling findings: only 9 per cent were able to correctly identify the term HbA1c - the single most important metric for identifying good blood glucose control.
The results of the survey, conducted in April by Hong Kong University's Public Opinion Programme and commissioned by the Hong Kong Specialist Medical Association (HKSMA), suggest that many patients in the territory may not be receiving optimal care for their diabetes. Hence, patients are at greater risk for microvascular (eye and kidney disease) and macrovascular complications (coronary, peripheral vascular disease).
In response to the survey, the HKSMA and 100 local doctors are supporting the launch of a new patient education initiative called the Target 7 Alliance, which aims to raise patient awareness about achieving good blood glucose control by meeting the target HbA1c level of 7 per cent. This target is linked with as much as a 35 per cent risk reduction for diabetes complications.
The HbA1c test, usually administered in the doctor's office or diagnostic laboratory every three months, reflects the average of a person's blood glucose levels over the past quarter and is based on the attachment of glucose to haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The higher the percentage, the higher the blood glucose level.
Other notable survey findings: only 55 per cent believed their diabetes was in good control, and 35 per cent admitted they were not well informed or knowledgeable about diabetes. More than 20 per cent could not name the types of complications most closely associated with poorly controlled diabetes - blindness, amputations, kidney failure, cardiovascular disease and early death. Over 90 per cent of the respondents receive their medical care from public doctors.
Diabetes is a chronic condition where the body is unable to convert sugar into energy for tissue and organ cells, which leads to excessive sugar in the blood. Type 2 diabetes is a reversible metabolic disorder responsible for about 90 per cent of all diabetes cases worldwide, affecting both children and adults. Type 1 is an incurable autoimmune disease that strikes children, teens, and adults up to age 40. Both types of diabetes are on the rise.
