- April 27, 2008
Two years ago, Adam Kaye was a hard-working second year medical student at Yale University doing his best to master the signs and symptoms of the medical conditions he was studying. Like many a medical student before him, he often imagined that he suffered from many of the diseases he was scrutinizing. As he studied the presenting symptoms of
type 1 diabetes, he thought to himself, frequent urination? "I had been heading to the bathroom every half-hour to hour." Extreme thirst? "Mine seemed to be unquenchable." Unintentional weight loss? "I had lost about 10 to 15 pounds over the preceding month. Even my parents had commented on this: 'Wow, Adam, you look great; you lost some weight.' Only I hadn't really been trying to lose weight, and this on top of everything else worried me... I went in to my doctor, told him my symptoms, and he tested my blood sugar. He sat me down, and, without dancing around the subject, drastically changed my life in one short sentence: 'You. Have. Diabetes.'
[Story at Westport Minuteman:
Medical student experiences diabetes diagnosis from a patient's viewpoint.]
- April 20, 2008
The £100 million the NHS forks out every year to help diabetics monitor their own blood sugar is a waste of
money and unlikely to confer any health benefits, suggest the results of two studies.
If anything it is more likely to depress patients than provide any long term health benefits, conclude the researchers.
Self monitoring does help patients with type 1 diabetes
and those
with
type 2 diabetes
who use insulin to control their condition, say the authors.
Efficacy of self monitoring of blood glucose in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (ESMON study): randomised controlled trial.
BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.39534.571644.BE (published 17 April 2008),
Cost effectiveness of self monitoring of blood glucose in patients with non-insulin treated type 2 diabetes: economic evaluation of data from the DiGEM trial.
BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.39526.674873.BE (published 17 April 2008).
[Story at OnMedica:
Full text at
BMJ
and
BMJ.
Also see commentary by Dr. Quick at
SMBG for T2: A help or a hindrance?]
- April 12, 2008
Researchers say that eating too many eggs can be bad for diabetic men.
U.S. researchers revealed Wednesday that more than 6 eggs in a week increases a person's risk of death. And that was especially true of diabetic men, who seem to face an increased risk of death.
Egg consumption in relation to cardiovascular disease and mortality: the Physicians' Health Study.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 87, No. 4, 964-969, April 2008.
[Story at AHN:
Abstract at
AJCN;
full text at
AJCN, requires subscription.]
- April 6, 2008
New York City's obesity and diabetes rates are rising faster than in the rest of the country, a city health department study said.
Obesity and diabetes rates each jumped by 17 percent between 2002 and 2004, according to the city Department of Health and Hygiene study. The national obesity rate rose by 6 percent during the same time period, while the diabetes rate held steady nationally at 7 percent…
Obesity and Diabetes in New York City, 2002 and 2004.
Prev Chronic Dis 2008; 5(2).
[Story at newsday.com:
Full text at
Preventing Chronic Disease.]
- April 1, 2008
Doctors say they have shown for the first time that a diabetes drug can prevent the progression of coronary heart disease.
The involved 543 patients with
type 2 diabetes.
It compared two drugs,
Actos
and
Amaryl, which act in opposite ways: Actos is part of a newer class of drugs that reduce insulin resistance, while Amaryl is an older drug that increases insulin production.
Using intravascular ultrasound, researchers found that after 18 months, Actos was significantly better at reducing progression of plaque buildup in arteries of the heart.
Comparison of Pioglitazone vs Glimepiride on Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.
JAMA. 2008;299(13):(doi:10.1001/jama.299.13.1561).
[Story at Cleveland.com.
Abstract at
JAMA;
full text at
JAMA.]
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