Glycaemic control of Type 1 diabetes in clinical practice early in the 21st century: an international comparison.

AIMS: Improving glycaemic control in people with Type 1 diabetes is known to reduce complications. Our aim was to compare glycaemic control among people with Type 1 diabetes using data gathered in regional or national registries. METHODS: Data were obtained for children and/or adults with Type 1 diabetes from the following countries (or regions): Western Australia, Austria, Denmark, England, Champagne-Ardenne (France), Germany, Epirus, Thessaly and Thessaloniki (Greece), Galway (Ireland), several Italian regions, Latvia, Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Otago (New Zealand), Norway, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Volyn (Ukraine), USA and Wales) from population or clinic-based registries. The sample size with available data varied from 355 to 173 880. Proportions with HbA1c < 58 mmol/mol (< 7.5%) and ≥ 75 mmol/mol (≥ 9.0%) were compared by age and sex. RESULTS: Data were available for 324 501 people. The proportions with HbA1c 58 mmol/mol (< 7.5%) varied from 15.7% to 46.4% among 44 058 people aged < 15 years, from 8.9% to 49.5% among 50 766 people aged 15-24 years and from 20.5% to 53.6% among 229 677 people aged ≥ 25 years. Sex differences in glycaemic control were small. Proportions of people using insulin pumps varied between the 12 sources with data available. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that there are substantial variations in glycaemic control among people with Type 1 diabetes between the data sources and that there is room for improvement in all populations, especially in young adults.

Arterial hypertension in diabetes mellitus: from theory to clinical practice.

Diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension are two common diseases that often coexist. Patients with diabetes have much higher rate of hypertension than that in general population. The co-existence of these disorders appears to accelerate microvascular and macrovascular complications and greatly increases the cardiovascular risk, risk of stroke and end stage renal disease. Arterial hypertension is clearly related to nephropathy in subjects with type 1 diabetes. In patients with type 2 diabetes insulin resistance seems to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Several well designed randomized controlled trials have provided evidence that patients with diabetes will benefit from a more aggressive treatment of hypertension. This benefit is seen at blood pressure level<130/80 mmHg. Moreover, most diabetic patients with hypertension require combination therapy to achieve optimal blood pressure goals. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers, diuretics, beta-adrenoreceptor blockers and calcium- channel blockers are all effective antihypertensive agents in type 2 diabetes mellitus and no comparative trial showed the superiority of any particular class in either lowering blood pressure or reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. On the basis of experimental arguments and clinical observations that have shown their apparent superiority in slowing diabetic nephropathy, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers are preferred as the first choice alone or in combination with diuretics. Second choice should be long-acting calcium-channel blockers or cardioselective beta blockers. Clinicians should be aware of the need for aggressive treatment of hypertension and spend more time in order to provide maximal benefit to the treatment of diabetes mellitus and hypertension.