People with type 2 diabetes suffer badly from heart disease, strokes, and damage to the blood supply to their feet. Indeed, these cardiovascular conditions are the major causes of ill-health and death in people with the condition. A significant proportion of that ill-health is preventable, including by attention to the levels of fats and sugar in the blood, the clotting tendency of the blood, and blood pressure. Raised blood pressure is also responsible for worsening of eye damage and kidney damage in people with type 2 diabetes, and is therefore particularly well worth treating. Kidney damage is managed most effectively if detected early, and technologies for early detection now exist. This article therefore reviews a considerable number of effective ways of improving the health of people with type 2 diabetes.
CVD, epidemiological evidence, blood pressure, RCTs, kidney disease