Mixed

In low-income countries (LIC), the excess cardiovascular and all-cause mortality associated with diabetes remains high and is not significantly attenuated by standard pharmacological treatments (antidiabetes, antihypertensive, lipid-lowering drugs, and aspirin), unlike in high-income countries where treatment substantially reduces this risk.

For patients in low-income settings, having a diabetes diagnosis carries a significantly higher mortality risk than in wealthy nations, and simply taking prescribed medications (for blood sugar, blood pressure, or cholesterol) does not fully mitigate this risk. This is due to systemic issues like low medication adherence, suboptimal dosing, lack of access to acute cardiac care (like angioplasty), and socioeconomic disparities. To reduce mortality, access to care must be improved beyond just medication availability, including affordable acute interventions and better disease management.