Intensive sulphonylurea with insulin to achieve fasting plasma glucose less than 6.0mmol/

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Medication/Intervention

Intensive sulphonylurea with insulin to achieve fasting plasma glucose less than 6.0mmol/

(Sulphonylureas: chlorpropamide, glibenclamide or glipizide)

(Insulins: Ultratard or Humulin Zn or isophane insulin)

Comparator

Conventional treatment with diet to aim for fasting blood glucose less than 15mmol/l

(Metformin and sulphonylurea could be added or patients changed to insulin if target not achieved)

Study population:

Newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients  - between 25-65 years.

Comments:

Mean age of patients was 54 years

Any diabetes-related endpoint was defined as sudden death, death from hyperglycaemia or hypoglycaemia, fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction, angina, heart failure, stroke, renal failure, digital amputation, vitreous haemorrhage, retinopathy requiring photocoagulation, blindness in one eye, or cataract extraction.

Diabetes-related death was death due to myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, renal disease, hyperglycaemia or hypoglycaemia, and sudden death.

Median HbA1c over 10 years 7.0% in intensive group versus 7.9% in conventional group

Intensive group had more hypo-glycaemic episodes per year and higher weight gain than conventional group.

Reduction in micro-vascular events were mostly retinal.

 

Outcome Duration NNT Annualised NNT
Any diabetes end point 10 years (median duration of followup)

20

200

Diabetes related death 10 years (median duration of followup)

91

910

Micro-vascular complications 10 years (median duration of followup)

36

360

References

UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Group. Intensive blood-glucose control with sulphonylureas or insulin compared with conventional treatment and risk of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 33). Lancet 1998; 352: 837-53