If not treated properly, diabetes leads to long-term damage to a wide variety of organs. Research findings unanimously confirm the benefits of good diabetes control and consistent control of other cardiovascular risk factors in order to counteract the development of such late effects. This led to the development of largely standardized treatment guidelines across all disciplines. Observational studies in everyday practice have repeatedly shown relevant deficiencies in the implementation of treatment guidelines, which must be reduced in the future. To this end, it is important to systematically record and evaluate the current standard of treatment and the course of the disease. No such data has yet been collected in Switzerland. However, this knowledge is of great importance in view of increasingly scarce financial resources.
In order to close this knowledge gap, the Swiss Diabetes Register project (SwissDiab study) was launched in 2009 by the SwissDiab Association, a supra-regional research association. Members of the association are physicians working at the study centers with a special interest in the field of diabetology and epidemiology.
My name is PD Dr. med. Claudia Cavelti-Weder, specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology at the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition at the University Hospital Zurich. As a member of the SwissDiab Association, I am responsible for the SwissDiab study at the University Hospital Zurich. We conduct the study in accordance with Swiss law and internationally recognized guidelines. The cantonal ethics committee has reviewed and approved the study.
Aim of the study
The Swiss Diabetes Register is an observational study (multicenter, national observational study) conducted by several Swiss diabetes treatment centers and planned over several years. As part of this study, the current treatment practice at the various study centers in Switzerland, the incidence or occurrence of any late effects including mortality in connection with the underlying disease diabetes as well as the influence of the disease and its course on the quality of life of the patients treated at these centers are to be systematically recorded, stored in an electronic database (electronic patient file) and evaluated in encrypted form. A biobank (i.e. collection and storage of blood samples) is also to be set up for future, as yet undefined research projects. These samples are stored and analyzed in encrypted form. The biological material and your health-related data are very valuable for biomedical research. Despite great progress, there are still many areas in which knowledge about the causes, detection and treatment of diabetes and its secondary diseases can still be improved. Numerous research projects can only be realized today if biological material (e.g. blood) and health-related data are available. Findings from human genetics, for example, already allow for individualized treatment options in some cases. It is therefore possible that the material you have stored will also be used to carry out an examination that reveals genetic data (for example, whether you have a predisposition to a certain secondary disease of diabetes).
Who can take part?
All patients over the age of 18 with diabetes who are regularly treated at the study centers can participate in the study, regardless of type, duration or treatment. For the study to be meaningful, it is important that as many of our patients as possible take part, but at least 500 people per study center. Persons with gestational diabetes, those who are unable to attend regular medical appointments, give informed consent to the study or have a greatly shortened life expectancy (<1 year) are not included.
Procedure
The SwissDiab study is purely an observational study and does not interfere with the therapy recommended by your doctor. No drugs that have not yet been approved are used. Participation in this observational study therefore poses no risk to you. The data is collected as part of the routine annual diabetology check-up. This means that no additional appointments are made.
Compensation
None
Original study name
Swiss Diabetes Registry - SwissDiab Study
BASEC number
2016-01449
Sponsors
Since 2009, the SwissDiab study project has been funded in equal shares by various pharmaceutical companies with an annual contribution. The project also received support from the Swiss Diabetes Association and the Clinical Trials Unit (CTU)