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This study examined the relationship between hospital admissions for patients with diabetes mellitus and residence in an area of social deprivation. Admissions of patients with diabetes mellitus were identified during a 5-year period between 1987 and 1992 using the district patient information service. All persons admitted were assigned to an electoral ward on the basis of their postcode. Age standardized admission rates were compared to the Townsend Deprivation Score for each electoral ward. A positive correlation was found between age standardized admission rate and Townsend Score (r = 0.76, p < 0.001). We believe this has significance for planning health care resources.

A survey of over 1,000 diabetic patients attending a routine hospital clinic clinic in a British city revealed 104 with neuropathic symptoms or foot ulceration. Patients could be assigned to one of four clinical neuropathy groups: chronic sensorimotor, predominantly sensory, proximal motor and mononeuropathy. Only duration of diabetes differed significantly between the groups, with the longest duration in the chronic sensorimotor group. Objective measures of neuropathy did not correlate with symptom scores indicating that careful clinical assessment must augment neurophysiological studies. Patients with neuropathic foot ulceration had significantly higher vibration and thermal thresholds compared with neuropathic patients without ulceration, whereas there was no difference in autonomic function between the two groups.