Glycaemic, blood pressure and cholesterol control in 25 629 diabetics

OBJECTIVE: To examine and compare the extent to which people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are achieving haemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)), blood pressure (BP) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) treatment targets. METHODS: A review of databases (MEDLINE Ovid, Pubmed and Sabinet) was performed and limited to the following terms: type 2 diabetes mellitus AND guideline AND goal achievement for the years 2009 to 2014 (five years). RESULTS: A total of 14 studies (25 629 patients) were selected across 19 different countries. An HbA(1c) level of 7.0% (or less) was achieved by 44.5% of subjects (range 19.2–70.5%), while 35.2% (range 7.4–66.3%) achieved BP of 130/80 mmHg (or less), and 51.4% (range 20.0–82.9%) had an LDL-C level of either 2.5 or 2.6 mmol/l (100 mg/dl or less). CONCLUSION: Despite guideline recommendations that lowering of HbA(1c), BP and lipids to target levels in T2DM will lead to a reduction in morbidity and mortality rates, we found that control of these risk factors remains suboptimal, even across different settings.