The Particulars: The Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study was launched in 1983 to determine the effects of intensive therapy aimed at obtaining near-normal glucose levels in type 1 diabetics. Results were released in 1993, but longer-term effects of such therapy have remained unknown.
Data Breakdown: Long-term follow-up of EDIC has been conducted over the past 20 years. Researchers found that long-term, intensive therapy reduced risk for developing impaired kidney function by 50%, reduced heart disease and stroke risk by nearly 60%, and reduced the severe, vision-threatening stages of diabetic eye disease and the need for ocular surgery and procedures by 50%.
Take Home Pearl: Long-term, intensive therapy for type 1 diabetes appears to help patients achieve near-normal glucose levels and substantially reduce the risk of developing severe eye disease, impaired kidney function, heart disease, and stroke.
