Clinical and paraclinical characteristics, risk factors of poor blood sugar control in outpatients with diabetes at Hanoi Heart Hospital

Abstract

Background: In Vietnam, glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains suboptimal, with only 36.1% achieving the HbA1C target. Objective: “Description of clinical and paraclinical characteristics and risk factors of poor glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients treated as outpatients at Hanoi Heart Hospital”. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 201 T2DM outpatients managed at Hanoi Heart Hospital from May 2024 to June 2025. Results: The mean age was 69.3 ± 8.1 years, and 54.2% were female; patients with HbA1C > 10% accounted for 20.9%; factors associated with microvascular complications included: HbA1C > 10%: OR = 6.72 (95% CI: 1.55–29.08, p = 0.01), low and moderate medication adherence (MMAS-8): OR = 7.21 (95% CI: 1.64–31.6, p = 0.01) and OR = 3.21 (95% CI: 1.17–8.83, p = 0.02), low physical activity level (IAPQ-SF): OR = 3.16 (95% CI: 1.16–8.57, p = 0.02), factors associated with macrovascular complications included: HbA1C > 10%: OR = 3.14 (95% CI: 1.28–6.37, p = 0.01), low and moderate medication adherence: OR = 3.27 (95% CI: 1.41–26.45, p = 0.027) and OR = 3.91 (95% CI: 1.49–31.47, p = 0.02), low and moderate physical activity: OR = 3.67 (95% CI: 1.85–15.75, p = 0.008) and OR = 3.21 (95% CI: 1.75–13.81, p = 0.012); factors associated with significantly elevated HbA1C (>10%) included: Poor or no medication adherence: OR = 5.12 (95% CI: 1.13–23.14, p = 0.03), low physical activity level: OR = 42.46 (95% CI: 13.84–130.3, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Low physical activity levels and poor treatment adherence are significantly associated with poor glycemic control and increased risk of both microvascular and macrovascular complications in T2DM patients.