How can you decide which Continuous Glucose Monitor is best for you? Advice from Dr. Stephen W. Ponder, MD, FAAP, CDE-AADE Educator of the Year, Board Certified Pediatric Endocrinologist, Pediatric Residency Program Director at Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Hospital and 50 year Joslin Medalist, on the difference between the Freestyle Libre and the […]
The American College of Physicians (ACP) recently issued a set of guidelines for glycated hemoglobin (A1c) treatment targets in patients with type 2 diabetes. These guidelines generated immediate controversy. An endocrinologist reviews the new guidelines and explains exactly why she disagrees with several of their key points: setting most A1c targets between 7% and 8%, […]
Surgery places physical stress on the patient, and patients with diabetes and hyperglycemia are especially vulnerable to complications from surgery. A recent study found that poor glycemic control before surgery (elevated HbA1c levels) was a major risk factor for adverse outcomes after surgery. The research demonstrates the need to assess patients’ glycemic levels prior to […]
New research finds people with type 1 have higher risk of developing additional autoimmune conditions. The risk is highest for those who develop type 1 diabetes after the age of 40, especially women. Thyroid disease, vitigilio, alopecia, Crohn’s disease and psoriasis are all conditions which can be associated with type 1. Read more
Diabetes activists, including both physicians and patients, joined together in Washington, DC this past weekend to protest the high cost of insulin in the U.S. The protest was held on April 8 and organized by the Right Care Alliance, an activist group that states their mission is to hold “health care institutions accountable to communities […]
Nearly one in ten American adults now have diabetes, according to the latest CDC research. 21 million of these cases are due to type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes accounts for a much smaller number, at 1.3 million cases. Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors all seem to play a role in who develops diabetes, and […]
Dental exams may be an earlier predictor of disease than even blood tests, according the authors of a new study. They found a progressive increase in the number of patients with missing teeth as glucose tolerance declined, and conclude that patients with at least 3 or more missing teeth should be tested for diabetes. Read […]
Previous research has shown that eating a diet high in fiber can benefit patients with type 2 diabetes. Now, a new study may have determined why. A certain type of gut bacteria has been identified as the reason for the benefits of high-fiber diets. Eating the right dietary fibers can help rebalance the gut microbiome, […]
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems (CGMS) are considered the next big thing in diabetes care. Both patients with diabetes and health care professionals expect wider adoption of CGMS in the future for patients with type 2 as well as type 1 — but feel that costs coming down is a key factor in this. The results […]
The American College of Physicians recently issues new guidelines stating that adults with type 2 diabetes can aim for an easier-to-achieve blood sugar target than what’s been used to guide treatment in the past. These recommendations differ from the guidelines from most national and international organizations, such as the American Diabetes Association and American Association […]
In 2015, the rate of diabetes-related visits to the emergency room was 92 per 1,000 people aged 45 and older, according data provided by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. From 2012 to 2015, the percentage of emergency department visits by patients aged 45 and older with […]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning against the use of an unregulated supplement called kratom that has addictive and potentially dangerous health effects. The FDA says some people are using the botanical substance for pain relief and to treat opioid withdrawal symptoms. As of February 2018, the FDA had received reports of […]
A new study using data from 14,000 Apple Watch users was able to detect that 462 of them had diabetes. The data came from the Watch’s heart rate sensor. The same type of sensor is used by other fitness bands using Android Wear. The study was inspired by results from the Framingham Heart Study in […]
More and more people are using mail-order or online ordering for their drugs, but there are real benefits to having a relationship with a local pharmacy. A diabetes educator shares the story of how her patient was able to avoid missing her regular medication before she could get a new prescription, thanks to the support […]
A large study conducted in Great Britain has found that diabetes vastly increases the risk of diabetes. The study compared people, aged 40 and older, with diabetes to people who didn’t have diabetes but were otherwise comparable in age, gender, and other factors. It found that the incidence rate of cataract diagnoses and surgery cases […]
Many patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes suffer from painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN). Patients with this complication experience irreversible peripheral nerve damage resulting in severe pain, which is difficult to manage. When medication is not enough to provide pain relief, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is sometimes used as a last-resort therapy. While […]
Every day, doctors and other prescribers write prescriptions for patients with diabetes. But how can they choose the best medication from all the many drugs, and combination drugs, available today? And how can they make sure that the patient will be able to afford the drug they want to prescribe, when there are more than […]
UnitedHealth Group announced it has partnered with DexCom and will launch a glucose monitoring program. The program will use a wearable device aimed at helping older Americans continuously manage their type 2 diabetes via mobile technology. The program will initially have a pilot period, in which a number of enrollees in UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage plans […]
Emily Seto, a researcher who works on developing mobile health (mHealth) apps and wearables and studying their performance, discusses the future role of these devices in helping patients manage their diabetes. Read more
Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre, a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGM) has received Medicare coverage. This CGM is the first in the market that does not require diabetes patients to prick their finger to draw blood. The Medicare coverage and ease of use of the system are expected to make it an attractive option for senior citizens […]
