Abstract
This study of the social circumstances and life-style of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) was done as a first step to establish effective methods for the education about this disease of both patients and the general population. We analyzed employment, income, marital status, and related circumstances of the 1013 patients (354 men and 659 women) aged 18 years or more who answered a questionaire that we prepared and gave to patients at our hospitals and related hospitals.
Patients unemployed or unable to work because of disabilities accounted for 6.5% of men and 6.8% of women. Estimated income was lower in male patients than in age-and sex-matched siblings (x2test, p<0.05). Patients refused a job because of, or probably because of, their diabetes accounted for 35% of men and 36% of women. Thirty-six percent of men and 41% of women reported concealing their disease at their place of employment at some time. Some 91% of patients fund medical expenditures at least something of a burden. Both men and women were less likely to be married than the general Japanese population. The results suggested that education of patients and of society as a whole could improve the long-term prognosis and quality of life for patients with IDDM.
