Relationship between the History of Intermittent Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and the Risk of Diabetic Vascular Complications

Abstract

In this study, the relationship between previous intermittent treatment and diabetic vascular complications was investigated based on a questionnaire survey of 594 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A history of treatment interruption was found in 78 patients (13 %), and the proportions of men and patients living alone (79 % and 30 %, respectively) were significantly higher among the subjects with a history of treatment interruption than those without (59 % and 18 %, respectively). Furthermore, the age at diagnosis of diabetes and the start of treatment was significantly younger, whereas the period prior to the start of treatment for diabetes mellitus and the duration of diabetes were significantly longer, in the subjects with a history of treatment interruption than in those without, and a history of treatment interruption was identified to be a significant independent variable for diabetic nephropathy in a multivariate logistic regression analysis (odds ratio=1.97, 95 % confidence interval=1.14-3.36, P=0.02). Therefore, it is important to emphasize education regarding severe diabetic complications, such as retinopathy and nephropathy, and/or treatment support provided by third parties, such as the government or medical institutions, in order to prevent treatment interruption for type 2 diabetes mellitus.