TUESDAY, May 14, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- Aggressive treatment of high blood pressure in people with Type II diabetes improves their health and life expectancy and reduces their lifetime health care costs by about $1,000, says a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Intensive control of high blood pressure can reduce stroke by 44 per cent and lower the cases of kidney and eye disease in people with Type II diabetes, according to the research, which appears in tomorrow's Journal of the American Medical Association.
The CDC researchers used a mathematical model to evaluate the benefits of three different treatment approaches for people with Type II diabetes - controlling high blood pressure, blood sugar control and cholesterol reduction.
The researchers based their model on a hypothetical group of Americans aged 25 and older who were newly diagnosed with the disease.
Type II diabetes is also known as adult-onset diabetes, which affects an estimated 14 million Americans. Another three million have juvenile diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes. People with diabetes are at increased risk for heart disease, stroke and other serious health complications.
More information
This page from the American Diabetes Association provides excellent background material.
