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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Early Drug Regimen Helps Diabetics Later: Study

Study shows long-term benefits for rigorous initial treatment

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(Newser) – A new study pushes for early, rigorous drug treatment of diabetes, even in people diagnosed with reversible type 2, Reuters reports. Diabetics given an intense drug regimen soon after diagnosis reduce their risk of heart attacks and reap long-term benefits from that medical attention, even if they become less mindful of controlling blood sugar later on.

The decade-long British study found those people who took drugs early on were healthier than those who didn't for at least 10 years after the differences in blood-sugar control disappeared. But a doctor warns against treatment lapses: "What you don't want is for people to think that they had a period of good glucose control and then they allow their blood glucose to go high."

Brandon Merrell, 8, center, is diabetic. A new study makes the case for intense early drug treatment.
Brandon Merrell, 8, center, is diabetic. A new study makes the case for intense early drug treatment.   (AP Photo)
A new study shows that, rather than merely encourage newly diagnosed type-2 diabetics to change diet and boost exercise, treating the disease with drugs early has positive long-term effects.
A new study shows that, rather than merely encourage newly diagnosed type-2 diabetics to change diet and boost exercise, treating the disease with drugs early has positive long-term effects.   (AP Photo)
Early treatment is beneficial even if diabetics lapse in blood-sugar control later on, a new study shows.
Early treatment is beneficial even if diabetics lapse in blood-sugar control later on, a new study shows.   (AP Photo)
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New England Journal of Medicine


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