Importance of regional differences in the features of type 2 diabetes mellitus in one and the same country—The example of Thailand

Abstract

Background: A dataset from a nationwide assessment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients fromThailandwas reassessed. Objective: Prevalence of T2DM is highest in the northeast ofThailandand the intention of the study was to assess whether the clinical picture and behavior of patients from the northeast differ from the rest of the country. Materials and Methods: The variables of two groups of patients i.e. those from the northeast ofThailandand patients from the remaining three other regions, with the exception ofBangkok, were compared. The dataset consisted out of clinical laboratory data and the results of a questionnaire recording knowledge and admitted compliance of patients. Results: A higher proportion of patients from the northeast have elevated triglyceride levels and lower high density lipoprotein (HDL) fractions in comparison with the patients derived from the other three regions. The northeasterners know very well and better than the patients of the other regions how to take care of them while having T2DM yet the proportion of those with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values over 6.4% was higher for them than for the other group of patients. Conclusion: In depth investigation by health educators would be useful in order to find out how the relationship between knowledge and practice could be improved for patients from the northeast of Thailand.