This article summarizes the results of the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study, which monitored more than 4,000 patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 for an average period of 11 years after the establishment of the diagnosis. The results of this study are as follows: A lower number of microvascular, but not macrovascular complications was established in the intensively treated patients (fasting plasma glucose less than 6 mmol/l) than was the case in the conventionally treated patients (fasting plasma glucose concentration less than 15 mmol/l). No differences in efficacy in reducing glycaemia were found in the intensive treatment between sulphonylurea, insulin and metformin, but all of them were more effective than diet alone. However, mean baseline glucose concentrations in all treatment groups steadily increased over the entire study period. The reduction of macrovascular complications was seen only in the group of obese diabetics with metformin monotherapy. The great reduction of macrovascular complications was seen in the group of good blood pressure, and no differences between ACE-inhibitor and betablocker were established. There were no more ischemic complications among patients receiving sulphonylurea's medication and there were no more atherosclerotic complications in patients receiving insulin.

Keywords: Adult; Aged; Blood Glucose /analysis/; Combined Modality Therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 /blood/; Diabetic Angiopathies /prevention & control/; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents /therapeutic use/; Longitudinal Studies; Middle Aged; Multicenter Studies as Topic; Prospective Studies; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic