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Two reports on diabetes were published last month and both demonstrate the challenges involved in managing this common condition.

Diabetes in the UK
In its publication Diabetes in the UK: key statistics on diabetes, Diabetes UK discusses the prevalence and impact of this condition.¹ The report highlights that:

• the UK is facing a significant increase in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes
• the poorest people in the UK are 2.5 times more likely to have diabetes at any age than the average person
• more than 10% of the NHS budget is estimated to be spent on diabetes.

National diabetes audit
The fifth National diabetes audit, published by The NHS Information Centre, has shown that 60% of people with diabetes in England do not receive all of the recommended care for their condition.² In addition, it reports wide variation across England's 152 primary care trusts in terms of meeting targets for glucose control, with 50% more people meeting these targets in some PCTs compared to others.

Newer agents
As poorly managed diabetes is associated with serious complications, meeting these targets is an important issue. A number of newer agents for blood glucose control are now available and NICE has published recommendations on their use in patients with type 2 diabetes.³ This guidance is discussed by Dr Roger Gadsby in this issue of Guidelines in Practice.

Julia Morris, Editor
julia.morris@mgp.ltd.ukG

References

1. Diabetes UK. Diabetes in the UK: key statistics on diabetes. Diabetes UK, 2009.
2. The NHS Information Centre. National diabetes audit. Executive summary. Report for the audit period 2007–2008. NDA, 2008. Available at: www.ic.nhs.uk/nda/takepart
3. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The management of type 2 diabetes. Clinical Guideline 87. London: NICE, 2009.G