Management of hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a consensus algorithm for the initiation and adjustment of therapy

Excerpt

The consensus algorithm for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus was developed on behalf of the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes approximately 1 year ago [1, 2]. This evidence-based algorithm was developed to help guide healthcare providers to choose the most appropriate treatment regimens from an ever-expanding list of approved medications. The authors continue to endorse the major features of the algorithm, including the need to achieve and maintain glycaemia within or as close to the non-diabetic range as is safely possible; the initiation of lifestyle interventions and treatment with metformin at the time of diagnosis; the rapid addition of medications and transition to new regimens when target glycaemia is not achieved; and the early addition of insulin therapy in patients who do not meet target HbA_1c levels. …