Glycaemic, blood pressure and cholesterol control in 25 629 diabetics

To examine and compare the extent to which people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are achieving haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) treatment targets.

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).

A total of 14 studies (25 629 patients) were selected across 19 different countries. An HbA1c 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).

Despite guideline recommendations that lowering of HbA1c, 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.