early noughties - Treating to Target

80 years after the discovery of insulin, the early noughties The era 80 years after the discovery of insulin, the early noughties, could perhaps be labelled the “Treat to Target” era. The United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), as described elsewhere in this supplement by Professor Rury Holman,1 showed that whilst the microvascular complications were reduced in the intensive arm, the HbA1c relentlessly rose as beta cells relentlessly failed (Figure 1a) no matter whether patients were in the intensive or conventional treatment arm. The study also showed that the lower the HbA1c the less likely there are to be microvascular events (Figure 1b).