| Abstract: | ABSTRACT We asked 192 well-defined patients with insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) and free of advanced complications, about their experiences of the influence of the disease on daily life and worries about complications. Semantic differentials were used to measure attitudes to diabetes. The patients were divided into quintiles according to their metabolic control. The groups did not differ significantly as regards the distribution of age, living conditions, absence from work, duration of the disease or number of insulin injections daily. Patients with good metabolic control (HbA1c < 6.7) had higher number of hypo-glycaemic comata (7 vs. 1, p < 0.001) and somewhat higher levels of endogenous insulin production (NS) when compared with those in poor metabolic control (HbA1c > 9.0). There were more university graduate patients in the group with good metabolic control (p < 0.05). Patients in the poor-controlled group more often reported that they were smokers (p= 0.003) and the women in fertile ages in this group more often reported problems with metabolic control during menstruation (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the groups regarding the experiences of being a diabetic or worries about complications. Patients with poor metabolic control gave expression to more positive attitudes on the semantic differentiales. Implications for nursing are discussed. |
