Diabetes mellitus and treatment outcomes in Palestine refugees in UNRWA primary health care clinics in Jordan.

ABSTRACT

SETTING: Six primary health care clinics in Jordan, serving Palestine refugees diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM). OBJECTIVES: To report on the number and characteristics of new DM patients registered in the second quarter of 2013 and of all DM patients ever registered by 30 June 2013, with treatment outcomes and cumulative burden of late-stage complications. DESIGN: A descriptive cohort study using routine data collected through e-Health. RESULTS: Of the 288 new patients in Q2 2013 and 12 548 patients ever registered with DM by 30 June 2013, smoking, physical inactivity and obesity were recorded in 19%, 50% and 47%, respectively. In Q2 2013, 9740 (78%) patients attended a clinic, with >99% having undergone disease control measures: of these, 72% had postprandial blood glucose ⩽ 180 mg/dl, 71% had blood cholesterol < 200 mg/dl, 82% had blood pressure < 140/90 and 40% had body mass index < 30 kg/m(2). Late-stage complications were present in 1130 (11.6%) patients who attended a clinic, with cardiovascular disease and stroke being the most common. Several differences in outcomes were found between males and females. CONCLUSION: There is a high burden of disease due to DM at primary health care clinics in Jordan. Cohort analysis using e-Health is a vital way to assess management and follow-up.