Clinical trials in diabetes mellitus

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial or DCCT was a large multi centre study conducted in the US which showed convincingly that tight glucose control prevented complications in type 1 diabetes mellitus.

This was a large study that followed up 1441 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. The results showed that tight control of blood sugar reduced the development of diabetic eye disease by 76%. If patients already had eye disease, it prevented the worsening of the eye disease by 54%. There was also a reduction in kidney disease by 50% and nerve disease by 60%. It is for this reason that we say that the chronic complications of diabetes mellitus are preventable. However, this requires effort on your part and also that of your health care team to maintain this kind of control. In addition, the treatment given results in an increase in the rate of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) and this must be carefully monitored.

You can read more about this important study at the sites below:

http://wkweb2.cableinet.co.uk/diabetic/balance/dcct/ndcct.htm

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/diabetes/pubs/dcct1/dcct.htm