Quality of centralized diabetes care: a population-based study in the German Democratic Republic 1989-1990

The efficacy of care in the centralized diabetes care system in the former German Democratic Republic was evaluated on the basis of the recommendations of the St. Vincent Declaration. Eighty-three per cent (n = 190, 46% women) of all insulin-treated diabetic patients aged 16-60 years who were registered in one district diabetes care unit were examined. Of these, 131 patients had type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes (69%) and 59 type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes (31%). All patients were on animal insulin and 96% (n = 187) had conventional therapy consisting of fixed insulin dose and a fixed diet. Levels of glycosylated haemoglobin (normal 4.15%, SD 0.54) were 6.3 +/- 1.3% in type 1 and 7.4 +/- 1.7% in type 2 diabetics. Retinopathy was found in 35% of type 1 (proliferative 3.8%) and 23% of type 2 patients (proliferative 3.4%). No patient was blind. Screening for nephropathy identified 29% of type 1 and 47% of type 2 diabetics as having albuminuria > 20 mg/l in early-morning urine. The prevalence of hypertension was 31% and 69% for type 1 and type 2 patients respectively. Foot ulcers were found in 2.1% and lower limb amputations in 2.1%. The incidence of severe hypoglycaemia (except in pregnancy) was 0.07 per patient per year. This study shows that the diabetes care system was effective and the winding up of this system with the reunification of Germany was not a medical necessity. However, the system failed to establish an integrated regime with regional general practitioners for the effective treatment of hypertension.