Study highlights room for improvement in diabetes treatment in Switzerland

According to the Swiss study, women with diabetes are generally treated less frequently than men, but have their blood sugar levels more under control. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / CHRISTIAN BEUTLER

Diabetes is on the rise in Switzerland. However, a Geneva study shows that treatment of the disease leaves much to be desired. Only around half of people with diabetes receive the necessary treatment.

A team from the University of Lausanne (UNIL), the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) evaluated the data of 12,000 people, which was collected between 2005 and 2019 at the “Bus Santé” [Health bus] in Geneva, in order better identify risk factors for non-communicable diseases.

The researchers found that during this period the overall incidence of diabetes and the frequency of undiagnosed cases fell slightly, from 8.7% to 6.2% and from 7% to 5.2%, respectively.

But epidemiologist Pedro Marques-Vidal explained to the Keystone-ATS news agency that people with diabetes were often unwilling to visit the Health Bus.

“Diabetics tend not to accept invitations for medical examinations,” explained the specialist, who co-authored the research with Ariane Pauli (UNIL) and Carlos de Mestral (HUG). This would explain the relative drop, when the general trend is towards a slight increase, according to other national studies.

The proportion of people treated for diabetes remained stable, at just over 50%, which is “relatively low”, according to the research published in the Scientific Reports journal.

As for people whose diabetes is under control, i.e. whose blood sugar levels are within the norm, the proportion is one-third (34%), a stable figure over the reporting period.

“We are a little disappointed because this is quite low,” said study leader Marques-Vidal.

Women are treated less frequently

According to the study, women with diabetes are generally treated less frequently than men but have blood sugar levels that are more under control.

“Once they are treated, women take better care of themselves and adhere better to treatments,” said Marques-Vidal. For people who suffer from obesity, the study found the opposite: there are more treatments but poor control of blood glucose levels.

According to the researchers, there is room for improvement both in the care provided by doctors and in patients’ adherence to treatment.

Marques-Vidal points out that doctors often lack the time and training to provide dietary advice for diabetes. In addition, there is a kind of “cat-and-mouse game” among some patients, he noted. They take their medication shortly before seeing a doctor, but otherwise less regularly.

Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/sb

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