Editorial on the original article entitled “Changes in diabetes-related complications in the United States, 1990-2010” published in the New England Journal of Medicine on April 17, 2014

The paper entitled “Changes in diabetes-related complications in the United States, 1990-2010” published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine examined the spectrum of diabetes complications over the past 20 years based on a unique, nationally representative database in the Unites States. It was noted that although adults with diagnosis of diabetes have more than tripled between the years 1990 and 2010, the rates of all five major complications of diabetes have declined significantly with the greatest absolute declines being noted for acute myocardial infarction followed by stroke, lower-extremity amputation, end-stage renal disease and finally the death from hyperglycemic crisis. The greatest declines in most of the diabetes-related complications were observed among elderly persons who are above the age of 75 years with the exception of end stage renal disease which declined only in younger people but not among elderly. These findings could be due to the fact that over the past years there have been great advancements with regards to creating diabetes education programs especially after the publication of many trials that looked at the importance of intensive versus conventional glucose control, along with the enhanced management of other associated risk factors such as blood pressure, lipid levels, and smoking cessation.