[Guidelines for the management of diabetes mellitus type 2]

In the last few years, the publication of new studies in diabetes, together with the development of new classes of blood glucose-lowering medications, have led to updates of the most prestigious clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of diabetes. Thus, a consensus statement from the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes on the management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes was published in April 2012. An update of one of the evidence-based guidelines issued by the Canadian Diabetes Association appeared in 2013 and this year, 2014, saw the publication of the consensus document of the redGDPS, whose guidelines are those most closely followed by primary care physicians in Spain. The three guidelines highlight the need for an individualized approach to type 2 diabetes mellitus, outlining both target glycemic goals and distinct treatment regimens based on patient characteristics, disease stage and the presence of comorbidities or complications. In the treatment of the disease, the three guidelines also stress the importance of considering patients' opinions and of recommending lifestyle modifications to achieve good disease control. Metformin is identified as the first-line drug, with the addition of other glucose-lowering agents if necessary.