Galobart PM, Sampedro CA
Aim: To compare the degree of control of two groups of diabetic patients, one from Denmark and the other one from Spain. Design: It is a cross sectional study. Participants: 99 diabetic people who had been chosen randomly from a data base in the two health centres.
Main measurements: In this study, the variables in both health centres are compared: age, sex, figures of glycated haemoglobin, body mass index, LDL cholesterol and figures of systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Results: In the sample from Seville the percentage was 53% of men and 47% of women while in the sample from Holbaek the percentage was 54% of men and 46% of women. In the total sample, there was a percentage of 53.54% of men and 46.46% of women. The average age of patients in each sample was 67.06 in Holbaek and 67.02 in Seville. The average BMI in Holbaek was 30.65 kg/m2, whereas in Seville it was 30.14 kg/m2. The average LDL in Holbaek was 78.64 mg/dL and in Seville it was 98.91 mg/dL. The average glycated haemoglobin in Holbaek was 6.8% whereas in Seville it was 6.6%. The average SBP in Holbaek was 125.39 mm Hg and in Seville it was 129.52 mm Hg. The average DBP in Holbaek was 81.25 mm Hg while in Seville it represented 76.87 mm Hg.
Conclusion: None of the compared variables showed significant differences statistically speaking, except from the figures of LDL that proved to be higher in Seville. According to information from the WHO, in Spain there are higher rates of overweight (obesity and physical inactivity) than in Denmark, which could be one of the potential causes of the prevailing difference.
