Does early intensive multifactorial therapy reduce modelled cardiovascular risk in individuals with screen-detected diabetes? Results from the ADDITION-Europe cluster randomized trial

Aims Little is known about the long‐term effects of intensive multifactorial treatment early in the diabetes disease trajectory. In the absence of long‐term data on hard outcomes, we described change in 10‐year modelled cardiovascular risk in the 5 years following diagnosis, and quantified the impact of intensive treatment on 10‐year modelled cardiovascular risk at 5 years. Methods In a pragmatic, cluster‐randomized, parallel‐group trial in Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK, 3057 people with screen‐detected Type 2 diabetes were randomized by general practice to receive (1) routine care of diabetes according to national guidelines (1379 patients) or (2) intensive multifactorial target‐driven management (1678 patients). Ten‐year modelled cardiovascular disease risk was calculated at baseline and 5 years using the UK Prospective Diabetes Study Risk Engine (version 3β). Results Among 2101 individuals with complete data at follow up (73.4%), 10‐year modelled cardiovascular disease risk was 27.3% (sd 13.9) at baseline and 21.3% (sd 13.8) at 5‐year follow‐up (intensive treatment group difference –6.9, sd 9.0; routine care group difference –5.0, sd 12.2). Modelled 10‐year cardiovascular disease risk was lower in the intensive treatment group compared with the routine care group at 5 years, after adjustment for baseline cardiovascular disease risk and clustering (–2.0; 95% CI –3.1 to –0.9). Conclusions Despite increasing age and diabetes duration, there was a decline in modelled cardiovascular disease risk in the 5 years following diagnosis. Compared with routine care, 10‐year modelled cardiovascular disease risk was lower in the intensive treatment group at 5 years. Our results suggest that patients benefit from intensive treatment early in the diabetes disease trajectory, where the rate of cardiovascular disease risk progression may be slowed. What's new? Little is known about intensive treatment of Type 2 diabetes early in the disease trajectory. In ADDITION‐Europe, a cluster‐randomized trial of multifactorial treatment vs. routine care among individuals with screen‐detected diabetes, there was a decline in 10‐year modelled cardiovascular disease risk in both trial groups in the 5 years following diagnosis. Compared with routine care, modest increases in intensity of treatment were associated with a small but significantly lower modelled cardiovascular disease risk value at 5 years. Practitioners should be encouraged to treat multiple risk factors intensively