Summary
Between 1969 and 1976, 317 adults were admitted to hospital in Nottingham with severely uncontrolled diabetes (plasma glucose over 33 mmol/l and/or venous bicarbonate less than 14 mmol/l). A third of episodes were in patients over the age of 50 years, of which 43% were fatal. In contrast, only 3.4% of episodes in patients under 50 years were fatal. In the older group, 65% of deaths occurred within 48 h of admission and in 44% no cause was found other than uncontrolled diabetes. Later deaths were due to underlying disease, infection or thromboembolism. Amongst older patients 38% were not previously known to have diabetes. Presentation to hospital was late and we conclude that many deaths were potentially avoidable by earlier detection in the community.
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Gale, E.A.M., Dornan, T.L. & Tattersall, R.B. Severely uncontrolled diabetes in the over-fifties. Diabetologia 21, 25–28 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03216218
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03216218