Abstract

A comparison of US treatment guidelines for Type 2 diabetes mellitus: applications to the newly diagnosed patient

Author(s): Lisa M Chastain, Megan Stapleton & Jill Frost

As diabetes is a common disease state that is often underdiagnosed and undermanaged, this article aims to provide a practical approach to understanding the details of widely accepted recommendations for diabetes in the USA. Three guidelines are reviewed highlighting screening, diagnosis and treatment algorithms, with a focus on practical application to a patient scenario. The guidelines reviewed are published by the American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes (ADA/EASD), the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the American College of Physicians (ACP). By applying to the scenario of a newly diagnosed diabetic patient, this article aspires to highlight treatment differences between each expert recommendation, providing insight into evaluations made to determine the ideal initial treatment regimen.