Stable blood sugar curbs diabetes complications

By Martha Kerr

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In people with type 1 diabetes, adequate control of blood sugar over the long haul helps reduce the risk of diabetes-related eye and kidney disease, new data suggest.

The findings stem from a look at 1,441 type 1 diabetic patients followed for roughly 9 years as part of the pivotal Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT).

By analyzing hemoglobin A1C levels over time — a standard indicator of long-term blood sugar control — the researchers observed that increasing variability in hemoglobin A1C heightens the risk of new or worsening diabetic retinopathy (damage to the retina) and diabetic kidney disease.

Specifically, for every 1 percent increase in hemoglobin A1C, they found that the risk of retinopathy increased more than twofold and the risk of diabetic kidney disease increased nearly twofold.

The findings suggest that the long-term stability of blood sugar, and not just the average blood sugar control, predict the risk of these complications, study investigator Dr. Eric S. Kilpatrick of Hull Royal Infirmary in Hull, England, noted in an interview with Reuters Health.

“It is probably another reason to aim for stable good glycemic control rather than only good glycemic control,” Kilpatrick said.

However, blood sugar management “is only part of the story,” he added. It is as important, he said, to ensure that blood pressure and cholesterol levels are “tightly controlled” in order to reduce the complications of diabetes.

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, November 2008.

Source

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Posts:


By David Douglas NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Intensive control of high blood pressure (hypertension) leads to improved pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 diabetes and kidney disease, Danish researchers report in the journal Diabetes Care. “Diabetic women with kidney involvement have an increased risk of complications in pregnancy leading to preterm delivery,” lead investigator Dr.

Full Post: Blood pressure control key for diabetic pregnancy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For people who have type 2 diabetes, a low-glycemic index diet is significantly better than a high-fiber diet for keeping blood glucose levels down, researchers report Glycemic index, or GI, refers to how rapidly a food causes blood sugar to rise. High-GI foods, like white bread and potatoes, tend to spur

Full Post: Diabetes control better with low-glycemic diet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Depression may make it harder for people with diabetes to keep their blood sugar levels in check, researchers have found. In a study of more than 11,000 U.S. veterans with type 2 diabetes, the investigators found that over a decade, those diagnosed with depression consistently had a higher average hemoglobin A1C

Full Post: Depression linked to poorer diabetes control
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - School nurses can help older children and adolescents with poorly controlled type 1, or “insulin dependent,” diabetes better manage their blood sugar during the school day, research suggests. In a pilot study lasting 3 months, researchers found that nurse-supervised blood sugar monitoring, insulin injections at lunch and periodic insulin dose adjustment

Full Post: School nurses help kids control diabetes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Genes that increase the risk of heart disease in the general population carry an even greater risk of heart trouble in diabetics, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. The findings may help better identify which diabetics are at risk for heart disease and could lead to new treatments, they said. “Coronary artery disease is one

Full Post: Genes that raise heart risks amplified in diabetics

Site Navigation

Most Read

Search

Contact

  • kinwrite.com@gmail.com