Complications of diabetes mellitus encountered in a tertiary care hospital in Ajman, United Arab Emirates

ABSTRACT

To determine the profile of complications in patients with diabetes in the region of Ajman. Data was collected from GMC Hospital records of patients presenting with complications of diabetes from 1 January 2010-31 December 2010. Data analysis was done on SPSS and Chi square test was done to test associations. Out of 162 patients, there were 15 patients with acute complications of which the most commonly observed was hyperglycemia [69.6%] and there were 90 patients with chronic complications of which CVD was the most frequently [48.8%]. It was also found that the age group with the most cases of acute and chronic complications were 20-39 years [66%] and 40-59 years [55.6%]. 24.7% out of 162 patients had co-morbidities, with the most common being liver disorders, followed by thyroid disorders and anemia. Most patients in our study presented with hyperglycemia and cardiovascular disease, with the former seen most commonly in the younger age group and the latter in the older age group. Also a significant number of patients with complications had high RBG and HbAlc levels. Therefore greater efforts are needed in controlling the blood glucose level in order to prevent long term complications