Type 2 Diabetes: Complications
Over time, high blood glucose levels and diabetes complications can cause damage to virtually every organ system of the body, including:
Achieving good control over blood glucose levels with insulin and healthy lifestyle changes is the best way to prevent or slow diabetes complications. According to the 2007 report released by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), an estimated three out of five Americans with type 2 diabetes (57.9 percent) have one or more diabetes complications.1 However, the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), a ten-year study of over 5,000 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, found that the diabetes complications of retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy were reduced significantly in study subjects with type 2 diabetes who practiced intensive blood glucose control (i.e., a median A1C of 7%).2
In addition, for every percentage point reduction in A1C (a blood test that measures the three-month average of blood glucose levels), study participants achieved a 35% reduction in the risk of diabetes complications. The UKPDS also found that aggressive control of high blood pressure significantly reduced cardiovascular complications and diabetic retinopathy in people with type 2 diabetes.
SOURCES:
1 - American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. AACE Medical Guidelines for Clinical Practice for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus © 2007. (PDF accessed 2/8/08).
2 - American Diabetes Association. "Position Statement: Implications of the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study". Diabetes Care 25: 28S-32S. (Accessed 2/12/08).
Reviewed by Francine Kaufman, M.D., 04/08