Clinical characteristics of hospitalized diabetic patients

In an inpatient diabetes control unit established to fulfill the special needs of hospitalized diabetic patients, 29% of the admissions were for control of diabetes. In 71% the metabolic abnormalities of diabetes were incidental to the cause of admission. Of the first 232 patients, 162 had type II diabetes. The degree of hyperglycemia in the type II patients was virtually identical to that in the type I patients, as measured by hemoglobin A1C levels at admission and by mean blood glucose values in the hospital. The mean hemoglobin A1C level at admission was 9.1% in both groups (normal 3.2 to 6.1). During hospitalization the patients admitted for medical and surgical problems achieved average blood glucose levels similar to levels in those who were admitted strictly for diabetes control. Regardless of the reason for admission, hospitalization of a diabetic patient is an opportunity for improvement in metabolic control and for patient education.