Milpitas, Calif., February 22 -- Nearly half of this country's seven million people diagnosed with diabetes, the nation's fourth leading cause of death by disease, don't follow their doctor's advice to manage their disease through blood glucose monitoring.¹ In addition, half of the 100 million Americans with high blood pressure and high cholesterol fail to comply with their doctor's advice.

This lack of compliance by patients with chronic diseases is in stark contrast to doctors' orders, according to a new Gallup survey of 276 primary care physicians, sponsored by LifeScan, Inc., makers of diabetes blood glucose monitoring systems.

The Gallup survey showed that doctors encourage people with hypertension and high cholesterol levels to comply with medication, diet and exercise regimens. The Gallup survey also showed that doctors overwhelmingly counsel their patients with diabetes to self-monitor their blood glucose levels. In fact, over 90% of those surveyed said they counsel their diabetes patients to monitor their blood glucose levels in accordance with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommendations. Despite this encouragement by their physicians, only 56% of diabetes patients monitor their blood glucose with an average testing frequency of just 1.2 times per day. This is well below the ADA guidelines, which recommend patients with Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes monitor their blood glucose 3 to 4 times per day, while patients with Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes monitor their blood glucose level 1 to 2 times per day.

"The lack of compliance by patients with chronic diseases is regrettable, but not unexpected," according to William P. Castelli, M.D., medical director of the renowned Framingham Heart Study and one of the world's leading experts on lipid disorders, including diabetes and heart disease. "As with any chronic disease, people must take responsibility for the day-to-day management of their disease," he concluded.

For example, left uncontrolled, diabetes can cause serious complications such as blindness, amputation, stroke, and kidney and heart disease.

Frequent self-monitoring is the key to diabetes control. The landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) proved that maintaining blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible reduces the risk of long-term complications by up to 60%.

"Since people with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease, with more than half of diabetic deaths caused by cardiovascular complications, it is imperative that both diabetes and heart disease patients strive to keep their conditions under control," continued Dr. Castelli.

"Diabetes and its complications alone cost the nation more than $90 billion annually," says David Van Avermaete, group vice president of LifeScan. "While research has proven that we already have the tools and means to control diabetes, these surveys point out how much more needs to be done in the area of patient education and compliance."

LifeScan, Inc., the nation's leading maker of blood glucose monitoring systems, commissioned the Gallup and Roper Starch surveys to better understand the impact of physicians' recommendations about patient compliance in the areas of diabetes and heart disease. The Gallup survey was conducted by telephone from October 7 through December 9, 1994. Primary care physicians were selected randomly and received no payment for their participation in the survey. The Roper Starch survey was conducted by telephone with a combination of diabetes patients selected at random and previously surveyed diabetes patients. It was also completed in December 1994.

LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson company, is committed to improving the quality of life for people with diabetes. For home and hospital use, the company's OneTouch^® Meters, Genuine OneTouch^® Test Strips and Control Solution form an accurate and reliable system that helps patients and their healthcare professionals determine the effectiveness of prescribed medication, diet and exercise programs. OneTouch^® Systems are recommended by more physicians, diabetes educators and pharmacists than any other brand. More than three million OneTouch^® Systems have been purchased to help people with diabetes lead healthier lives.

¹Roper Starch Survey

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