General characteristics of a community‐based diabetic population

All the known diabetics (917) registered with 40 general practitioners in the Poole area were identified. 842 (92%) attended a review examination conducted by a single observer. 202 (24%) were classified as insulin dependent diabetics (IDDs) and 640 (76%) as non‐insulin dependent diabetics (NIDDs). Mean age at review was 40.8 years for the IDDs and 67.3 pars for the NIDDs. Mean age at diagnosis of diabetes was 25.4 years for the IDDs and 58.9 years for the NIDDs. 333 (39.5%) diabetics were treated with insulin, 340 (40.4%) with oral hypoglycaemic agents and 169 (20.1%) with diet alone. The mean blood glucose and HbA1c for the IDDs were 9.5 mmol/l and 9.5% respectively and for the NIDDs, 9.0 mmol/l and 8.8% respectively (HbAlc normal range 5–9%). Serious retinopathy was found in 8.6% of the diabetics, proteinuria in 6.8% and 18.5% had a history of ischaemic heart disease. This information will be useful to those organising diabetic care services.