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Dr KK Aggarwal 02 January 2019

Morbidity from diabetes involves both macrovascular (atherosclerosis) and microvascular disease (retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy).
Smoking cessation is essential for patients who smoke.
Cardiovascular morbidity can also be significantly reduced with aggressive management of hypertension, cholesterol (goal LDL less than 80 mg/dL and use of aspirin (8o mg/day) in patients with or at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
Glycemic control can minimize risks for retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and has been shown to decrease the risk for cardiovascular disease for type 1 diabetes.
A1C goal is <7% for most patients.
More stringent control (A1c <6%) may be indicated for individual patients with type 1 diabetes and during pregnancy.
A higher target A1c (i.e., <8%) may be preferable for some type 2 patients with comorbidities or with an anticipated lifespan, owing to advanced age or other factors, that is too brief to benefit from the effects of intensive therapy on long–term complications.
The appropriate target for A1c in fit elderly patients who have a life expectancy of over 10 years should be similar to those developed for younger adults (<7.0%).
The risk of hypoglycemia, which may lead to impaired cognition and function, is substantially increased in the elderly. Thus, avoidance of hypoglycemia is an important consideration in establishing goals and choosing therapeutic agents in elderly adults.

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