Beating Odds of Heart Disease, Stroke in Diabetics

Major study to test best ways to lower risk

TUESDAY, March 4, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- A major new study in the United States and Canada will test the best ways to lower the risk of stroke and heart disease in adults with Type 2 diabetes.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) study will be conducted in 70 clinics and include 10,000 adults with Type 2 diabetes. It's called the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) study.

All participants will be included in the blood sugar control part of the trial. They'll then be randomly assigned to a treatment program involving either aggressive or standard control of blood sugar.

Then, depending on their cholesterol and blood pressure levels, the participants will be placed in either a high blood pressure or high blood fats part of the study.

It's the first large-scale study to test the effects of intensive control of blood sugar along with aggressive control of blood pressure and lipids in people with diabetes.

The ACCORD study is expected to go from February 2003 to June 2009. Most people who take part in the study will be involved from 5.5 to 8.5 years.

About 17 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes and about 90 percent of them have Type 2 diabetes. By 2050, the number of Americans with diagnosed diabetes is expected to increase 165 percent, to 29 million people. About 27 million of them will have Type 2 diabetes.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with Type 2 diabetes, with cardiovascular disease-related death rates two to four times higher than people who don't have diabetes.

People with Type 2 diabetes also suffer more strokes and nonfatal heart attacks than people who don't have diabetes.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about the ACCORD trial.

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