title: Effect of patients' risks and preferences on health gains with plasma glucose level lowering in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Type 2 diabetes mellitus is common, and treatment to correct blood glucose levels is standard. However, treatment burden starts years before treatment benefits accrue. Because guidelines often ignore treatment burden, many patients with diabetes may be overtreated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine how treatment burden affects the benefits of intensive vs moderate glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We estimated the effects of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reduction on diabetes outcomes and overall quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) using a Markov simulation model. Model probabilities were based on estimates from randomized trials and observational studies. Simulated patients were based on adult patients with type 2 diabetes drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Glucose lowering with oral agents or insulin in type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Main outcomes were QALYs and reduction in risk of microvascular and cardiovascular diabetes complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Assuming a low treatment burden (0.001, or 0.4 lost days per year), treatment that lowered HbA1c level by 1 percentage point provided benefits ranging from 0.77 to 0.91 QALYs for simulated patients who received a diagnosis at age 45 years to 0.08 to 0.10 QALYs for those who received a diagnosis at age 75 years. An increase in treatment burden (0.01, or 3.7 days lost per year) resulted in HbA1c level lowering being associated with more harm than benefit in those aged 75 years. Across all ages, patients who viewed treatment as more burdensome (0.025-0.05 disutility) experienced a net loss in QALYs from treatments to lower HbA1c level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Improving glycemic control can provide substantial benefits, especially for younger patients; however, for most patients older than 50 years with an HbA1c level less than 9% receiving metformin therapy, additional glycemic treatment usually offers at most modest benefits. Furthermore, the magnitude of benefit is sensitive to patients' views of the treatment burden, and even small treatment adverse effects result in net harm in older patients. The current approach of broadly advocating intensive glycemic control should be reconsidered; instead, treating patients with HbA1c levels less than 9% should be individualized on the basis of estimates of benefit weighed against the patient's views of the burdens of treatment.
authors: Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan2Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
authors: Sandeep
authors: S
authors: Vijan
authors: Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan2Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
authors: Jeremy B
authors: JB
authors: Sussman
authors: Department of Medicine, University College London, London, England.
authors: John S
authors: JS
authors: Yudkin
authors: Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan2Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
authors: Rodney A
authors: RA
authors: Hayward
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017281:Cost of Illness; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008390:Markov Chains; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D057240:Patient Preference; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human