Diabetic control in 102 insulin-treated out-patients

Haemoglobin AIc concentrations were measured in 102 insulin-treated diabetic outpatients. Only 19% had Hb AIc levels below three standard deviations above the normal mean value (5.23 +/- 0.05%). There were no correlations between Hb AIc levels, random C-peptide immunoreactivity or age. A significant correlation (r = 0.49; p < 0.001) was, however, observed between HbAIc and random plasma glucose levels. The mean random plasma glucose value was normal (89 +/- 18 mg/100 ml; 5 +/- 1 mmol/l) in the patients on insulin three times a day who had received short acting insulin 160 +/- 6 min before the sampling. --A significant inverse correlation was found (r = -0.26; p < 0.01) between the number of daily insulin injections and the HbAIc concentration. --These results suggest that the use of multiple daily insulin injections improves diabetic control. It should however be emphasised that the patients receiving multiple insulin injections were younger than those on the single injection regime and had lower plasma insulin antibody titres, different social and psychological status and a shorter duration of the disease.