Clinicodemographic Profile and Outcomes of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the Indonesian Cohort of DISCOVER: A 3-Year Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Indonesia is amongst the top 10 countries with the highest prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) at 10.8%. However, the distinguishable features of T2DM in Indonesia remain obscure. Therefore, the DISCOVER study aimed to describe the characteristics of T2DM patients, associated vascular complications and treatment in Indonesia.

Methodology: DISCOVER study is a multi-country, multicenter, prospective, cohort study over 3 years. In the present study, the data were collected from 13 sites from clinical practice, hospitals and public health facilities in Indonesia.

Results: A total of 221 subjects were recruited with a mean age of 55.6 ± 9.8 years and body mass index (BMI) of 26.4 ± 4.4 kg/m². Over 40% of patients had hypertension and/or hyperlipidemia. The mean duration of T2DM was 58.3 ± 62.0 months while the mean HbA1c levels was 9.2 ± 2%. In total, 82.4% completed the study within a 36-month followup period. BMI remained elevated i.e., >25 kg/m². A significant reduction was observed in HbA1c levels as compared to baseline (9.2 ± 2% to 8.1 ± 1.8%). T2DM-associated microvascular complications such as peripheral neuropathy, albuminuria and chronic kidney disease were observed in 17.2%. Macrovascular complications including coronary artery disease and heart failure were seen in 26.2% of patients. We also found that more than 70% of patients were on metformin and/or sulfonylurea.

Conclusion: The features of patients with T2DM in Indonesia were high BMI, with hypertension and hyperlipidemia as co-morbidities. Metformin and sulfonylureas were the most common treatment. HbA1c reduction during follow-up did not reach recommended target. Thus, early detection and intervention using available glucose-lowering medications and aggressive management of risk factors and complications are essential to improve outcomes of diabetes management in Indonesia.