ABSTRACT
The maintenance of simultaneous control of hypertension, dyslipidaemia and hyperglycaemia is the cornerstone of diabetes care, but this was achieved in only 41% of individuals (Table 2.1) (achievements would have been even less if ‘best practice’ targets had been audited, that is, HbA1c <7% [53 mmol/mol], blood
pressure <130/80 mmHg and total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol <4 and 2 mmol/L, respectively). Compared with its European counterparts, the United Kingdom appears better at managing lipids and blood pressure than hyperglycaemia. In a cross-sectional study that examined the medical records of people with type 2 diabetes across eight European countries over the period March 2009-December 2010, the United Kingdom was second lowest in terms of HbA1c target attainment (defined as an HbA1c <7% [53 mmol/mol]) (Table 2.2) (Stone et al., 2013).
