Diabetes News December 4th 2009

Health Needs Assessment tool now available as part of the National Diabetes Information Service
The Health Needs Assessment tool allows you to view any PCT’s performance in diabetes care against a large number of indicators. Most fields specified in the NHS Diabetes commissioning guide are covered within this tool (National Diabetes Information Service, UK)

Doctors warned over common diabetes drug
A study found that people taking drugs called sulphonylureas are more likely to have heart attacks, heart failure or die, compared to people taking another popular diabetes drug called metformin (Guardian, UK)

Risk of cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes prescribed oral antidiabetes drugs
Retrospective cohort study using UK general practice research database – Our findings suggest a relatively unfavourable risk profile of sulphonylureas compared with metformin for all outcomes examined. Pioglitazone was associated with reduced all cause mortality compared with metformin (BMJ)

Long-term glycaemic effects of pioglitazone compared with placebo as add-on treatment to metformin or sulphonylurea monotherapy
Intensifying an existing oral monotherapy regimen to a dual oral regimen by adding pioglitazone resulted in sustained improvements in glycaemic control and reduced progression to insulin therapy. The efficacy and safety of adding pioglitazone to either metformin monotherapy or sulphonylurea monotherapy were good (Diabetic Medicine)

Primary Care Diabetes
Contents for November 2009 (PCD)

Are people with negative diabetes screening tests falsely reassured?
Parallel group cohort study embedded in the ADDITION (Cambridge) randomised controlled trial – A negative test result at diabetes screening does not seem to promote false reassurance, whether this is expressed as lower perceived risk, lower intentions for health related behavioural change, or higher self rated health (BMJ)

DIAMAP – mapping the future of diabetes research
It may be a surprise to hear that at present there is no overall plan or framework to coordinate or fund research into diabetes across Europe – despite the urgent attention called to the disease from many organizations both patient-led and professional (DIAMAP)

Researchers stop diabetes progression in a clinical trial
A JDRF-funded clinical trial has shown that a drug used to treat certain types of cancer can protect beta cells, and therefore preserve insulin production, in people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (JDRF)

Improving supported self-management for people with diabetes
In this document we look at what we consider are the essential components that make up good supported self-management. While there are many things that enable people to self-manage, we have outlined what should be provided at the very least (Diabetes, UK)

Development and Validation of a Patient Self-assessment Score for Diabetes Risk
This easy-to-implement diabetes screening score seems to demonstrate improvements over existing methods. Studies are needed to evaluate it in diverse populations in real-world settings (Annals of Internal Medicine)

Smoking and diabetes—The double health hazard!
Smoking cessation programs are of great importance for primary care specialists dealing with diabetes (Primary Care Diabetes)

Abnormal liver function tests in patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus: prevalence, clinical correlations and underlying pathologies
Patients with Type 1 diabetes and elevated alanine transaminase should be investigated as significant abnormalities may be found which are amenable to interventions (Diabetic Medicine)

Impact of Glucose Tolerance Status on Development of Ischemic Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease
Our findings suggest that diabetes is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke in both sexes and CHD in women in the Japanese population (Stroke – American Heart Association)

Perinatal risk factors for early onset of Type 1 diabetes in a 2000–2005 birth cohort
Size-for-gestational-age had a consistent association with risk of early onset of Type 1 diabetes, small size being protective. Size-for-gestational-age measures should be preferred to birth weight thresholds when assessing risk of diabetes (Diabetic Medicine)

Study Finds Generex Oral-lyn(TM) is Safe, Effective, May Reduce Complications of Insulin-Dependent D
Published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, an independent review of clinical trials of Generex Oral-lyn(TM) shows that the oral insulin spray has a faster onset of action and shorter duration of action than insulin delivered subcutaneously (Generex)

Roche’s diabetes drug tops rival Januvia
The once-weekly GLP-1 analogue was found to meet endpoints in trials that compared it to Merck’s Januvia (sitagliptin) and placebo. Indeed, patients taking taspoglutide had greater HbA1c reductions – a marker of blood glucose levels – than those on Januvia and placebo after 24 weeks (PharmaTimes)

Examination of all type 2 diabetes GWAS loci reveals HHEX-IDE as a locus influencing pediatric BMI
Our data show that the same genetic HHEX-IDE variant which is associated with type 2 diabetes from previous studies also influences pediatric BMI (Diabetes)

Making a difference to global diabetes
President’s editorial (Diabetes Voice, IDF)

Against the worldwide epidemic
Editor-in-chief’s editorial (Diabetes Voice, IDF)