[Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus:"EURODIAB IDDM Complications Study"--results from the Vienna center]

The EURODIAB IDDM complications study is a multicenter clinical study for evaluation of the prevalence of microvascular, macrovascular and acute metabolic complications in randomly selected samples of insulin-dependent diabetic patients attending 31 European diabetes centers. A total of 3250 patients were studied (mean age: 32.7 +/- 10 years, mean duration of diabetes: 14.7 +/- 9.3 years) by standardized, validated methods. The third medical department of the Vienna-Lainz hospital participated from Austria. 122 patients, age: 34.9 +/- 9.9 years, duration of diabetes: 16 +/- 10 years were recruited from this center. There was a wide variation in the frequency of complications between the different European centres: Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy 25-60%; Vienna showed the lowest prevalence (25%). Metabolic control (HbA1c) ranged from 5.7-9.4%; Vienna shared the second place with two other centers (6.0%). Despite the very low HbA1c in the Viennese population, the frequency of severe hypoglycemic attacks was in the lower range, which is an extraordinary result in this study. Incipient diabetic renal disease, characterized by microalbuminuria varied in frequency between 15 and 33% (Vienna 23%). Important associations of raised blood pressure (frequency in all centers: 8-41%, Vienna: 29%) with renal disease and retinopathy have implications for the initiation of preventive measures. The data on diabetic complications obtained from the EURODIAB study permit a comparison between the different European centers and emphasize the need for implementation of the St. Vincent recommendations.