A new study of diabetes patients in a large managed care health plan in Massachusetts has correlated blood glucose control with the incidence of short-term complications that lead to hospitalization. These included hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, electrolyte imbalance, and selected infections (septicemia, pneumonia, kidney and urinary tract infections, cellulitis, and bacteremia).

The researchers divided nearly 2400 patients into three groups, representing good control (HbA1c < 8%), fair control (8-10%), and poor control (> 10%). During the 3 years of the study, the rate of hospital admissions for a short-term complication ranged from 13 per 100 among those with good glycemic control, to 16 per 100 with fair control, to 31 per 100 with poor control.

While the benefits of glucose control in preventing long-term complications have been well documented, this study is the first to look at short-term complications. The authors related the incidence to the costs of care, and attributed charges of $970, $1380, and $3040 to the three groups, respectively. They suggest that such data may be helpful in understanding the potential economic implications of short-term interventions designed to improve glycemic control, such as disease management programs and newer drug therapies.

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