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By Lisa Foster-McNulty, MSN, RN, CDE

Remember the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), which showed that good blood glucose (BG) control matters in preventing complications of diabetes?  And then the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study, which showed that intensive control reduces risk of any cardiovascular disease event by 42%…as well as a 57% decreased risk of nonfatal heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes? 

New evidence shows that overall mortality is similar in the DCCT/EDIC study cohort and the general population.

John M Lachin, Sc.D, and colleagues from the George Washington University Biostatistics Center in Rockville, MD compared mortality in the general population to that of the DCCT/EDIC study participants.  They estimated anticipated death rates during DCCT/EDIC using age, sex, and race specific risks in the general population of the US, and compared the actual versus anticipated mortality. 

Their findings? 

Compared to the general US population, mortality in the DCCT intensive therapy group was non significantly lower, while mortality in the DCCT conventional therapy group was significantly higher.  No surprises here, huh?  Good control helps to achieve a normal life span.  If you are interested in improving your diabetes control, please contact us.  We’d be happy to help!