Trends in the management of type 2 diabetes and its prescription drug costs in Greece (1998 & 2006)

Aims Aim of the present study is to compare control of hyperglycaemia and other diabetes-related cardiovascular risk factors during the years 1998 and 2006 and to estimate the change in the cost of medications prescribed for this purpose. Methods We compared the medical records of all patients who were regularly followed in three major diabetes centers located in Athens and Piraeus, Greece, during 1998, with those who were examined at the same centers during 2006. The cost of medications was calculated in Euros per patient-year (PY), using the 2006 official Greek market prices. Results A total of 1743 eligible files were included in the study (805 files from 1998 and 938 from 2006). HbA1c, LDL-cholesterol and blood pressure improved significantly in 2006 as compared to 1998 (7.0% vs. 8.1%, 2.9mmol/l vs. 3.9mmol/l and 134.9/77.6mmHg vs. 139.3/80.9mmHg respectively, p