The American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes have jointly launched new guidelines that recommend that the treatment of type 2 diabetes should be offered in a more personalised way than currently.
They argue that the condition is complex, and that patients should enter into a dialogue with their GPs regarding blood sugar goals and the most effective treatment to achieve them. It is claimed that the new guidelines, released online prior to their launch in the June issue of the journal Diabetes Care, were required as the management of type 2 diabetes is becoming more difficult, especially with the increasing amount of medications available and new studies into the various benefits and the risks of many therapies.
For instance, the usual goal for most patients was to reduce their HbA1C levels to under 7 per cent; however, the new guidelines suggest that more rigorous goals, such as maintaining A1C at between 6 and 6.5 per cent, could be more appropriate for people who are expected to live longer, have no history of heart disease and have not had very low blood sugar levels.
Vivian Fonsecan, president of medicine and science at the American Diabetes Associatio, said “The new guidelines are more patient-centered. The message is to choose an appropriate [blood sugar] goal based on the patient’s current health status, motivation level, resources and complications.”

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