Our recent study revealed that diabetes remission is more likely to occur when disease duration is short and HbA1c is low. We conducted a cluster randomized trial to determine whether encouraging people with diabetes to visit a clinic after a health checkup is effective for remission.
A total of 1,185 people (51y, 78% male) who diagnosed as diabetes at a workplace health checkup by any of three criiteria (HbA1c≥6.5%, FPG≥126 mg/dL, or postprandial PG ≥200 mg/dL) were cluster-randomized into two groups by workplaces.
While those in the control group received only the checkup results, those in the intervention group was additionally given a referral letter to a clinic.
In addition, those who still did not visit the clinic were encouraged to do so through health checkup centers, and the remission rates were compared between the groups. Remission was defined as no longer meeting the above three conditions. The remission rate at one year was significantly higher in the intervention group, 32%, compared to 25% in the non-intervention group (p=0.007). Significant predictors of remission by multivariate logistic analysis were age, exercise and the intervention. The intervention significantly increased remission by 1.4-fold, even after adjusted by initiation of diabetes medications.
These results suggest that the intervention increased remission through lifestyle modification.
D. Kimura: None. K. Kato: None. K. Fujihara: None. H. Sone: Research Support; Novo Nordisk, Astellas Pharma Inc., Kowa Company, Ltd., Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Eisai Inc., Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.
