Malta ranks 26th among 30 countries in the European Diabetes Index 2014. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Malta has some of the worst diabetes problems in Europe and data on care and treatment is unavailable, according to Swedish research.

The island ranks 26th among 30 countries in the European Diabetes Index 2014. Furthermore, Maltese data on diabetes care procedures and treatment outcomes “are obscure or non-existent”, making assessments very difficult, Health Consumer Powerhouse director Beatriz Cebolla said.

The research says Malta “has made impressive improvements on diabetes care since the mid-1980s but still has among the worst diabetes problems in Europe”.

There are three common forms of diabetes. Type 1 is when the pancreas does not produce the hormone insulin. Type 2, the most common form, occurs when the body uses the insulin inefficiently or its production is reduced. The third type is gestational diabetes that occurs in expectant women as the pregnancy hormones increases insulin resistance leading to hyperglycaemia, which leads to high levels of sugar in the blood.

Dr Cebolla made a number of recommendations for Malta, such as increasing physical education in schools and reducing obesity, which was always very high.

She pointed out that diabetes prevention “is a challenge” for an obese and sedentary population and suggested putting the patient in charge. Access to devices for patient management, such as insulin test strips and insulin pumps, “is poor” and should be improved. The rate of foot amputation, often a reality check of diabetes care quality, was high in Malta, she noted.

Diabetes prevention is a challenge for an obese and sedentary population

Patients should be empowered to take charge of disease management through good access to continuous structured education.

A national diabetes registry needed to be set up to record and assess the results of treatment. Patients also had to regularly do a number of check-ups and there had to be more follow-ups.

Sweden ranked first, scoring 936 of a maximum 1,000 points, followed by the Netherlands (922), Denmark (863) and the UK (812). Malta had 559 points. Bulgaria had the worst rating, followed by Lithuania, Estonia and Rumania.

The report notes that Sweden had the highest score ever reached in a Health Powerhouse Index. It is the only country assessed that could provide data on all 28 requested indicators.

The study, a follow-up of the 2008 Euro Diabetes Index, covers prevention, case finding, range and reach of services, access to treatment/care and procedures and outcomes.