Even small improvements in blood glucose control may help reduce complications of diabetes, researcher says.

HealthDay (5/20, Thompson) reported that new research demonstrates the importance of "keeping blood glucose levels at a normal, low level" when "it comes to avoiding the complications of" diabetes, "which can include eye, kidney, and nerve damage." For the study, Swedish researchers analyzed "patient records at diabetes clinics in Sweden and also" included data from "a large American study." By using "new statistical methods" to analyze "the large amount of data," the team found it "possible to study the treatments' effectiveness over long periods of time." Study author Marcus Lind, MD, who presented the study, stated, "Our results show that the risk of complications 10 to 15 years after the start of treatment probably decreases significantly following even small improvements in blood glucose control." Dr. Lind continued, "If the treatment of all Swedish diabetes patients could be even slightly improved, we believe that tens of thousands of cases of injuries to the eyes, kidneys, heart, nerves and brain could be prevented."