Early Multifactorial Intervention Key in Diabetes

A new Danish study at Steno Diabetes Center, Copenhagen, has revealed that early intensive intervention with multiple drug combinations in high-risk type 2 diabetes patients and behavior modification leads to reduced rates of death and cardiovascular disorders.

Study authors report their findings in the February 7, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The original results of this study, known as Steno-2, were published five years ago, as reported by heartwire, and found that intensive intervention against multiple risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes reduced cardiovascular and microvascular events by about 50%. Although the number of deaths was lower in the intensive-therapy group in this study, the relatively small number of patients who reached that end point precluded a determination of whether the approach affected mortality, the study authors explain.