View article

Objective: To estimate the cost effectiveness of conventional versus intensive blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Design: Incremental cost effectiveness analysis alongside randomised controlled trial.

Setting: 23 UK hospital clinic based study centres.

Participants: 3867 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (mean age 53 years).

Interventions: Conventional (primarily diet) glucose control policy versus intensive control policy with a sulphonylurea or insulin.

Main outcome measures: Incremental cost per event-free year gained within the trial period.

Results: Intensive glucose control increased trial treatment costs by £695 (95% confidence interval £555 to £836) per patient but reduced the cost of complications by £957 (£233 to £1681) compared with conventional management. If standard practice visit patterns were assumed rather than trial conditions, the incremental cost of intensive …