Study examines cost-effectiveness of treatment interventions for Type 2 diabetes. (News).

Aggressive treatment of high blood pressure can improve health outcomes while reducing a diabetes patient's lifetime healthcare costs by about $1,000, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Aggressive treatment involves the use of anti-hypertensive

Researchers also found that aggressive blood pressure treatment would reduce stroke by 44 percent and directly reduce cumulative incidence of nephropathy (kidney disease), and retinopathy (eye disease) among people with diabetes. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, kidney disease, and stroke.

The study, "Cost-effectiveness of Intensive Glycemic Control Intensified Hypertension Control and Serum Cholesterol Level Reduction for Type 2 Diabetes," which appears in the May15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, also examined the cost-effectiveness and health outcomes of intensive glycemic (blood sugar) control and reduction of serum cholesterol. Aggressive treatment versus conventional treatment in both cases significantly improved health outcomes, although costs increased.

"People with diabetes are at considerable risk for heart disease, strokes and other serious health complications," said David Fleming, M.D. acting CDC director. "This study confirms that aggressive treatment interventions aimed at reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease increase life expectancy and, at the same time, may reduce lifetime healthcare costs."