Landmark diabetes trial seen to control blood sugar better

You are what you eat! Whatever you feed yourself will likely speak highly or poorly of you. Like words that come out of your mouth which might be taken one day against you, what you had indulged in gastronomically during the holidays - oh, all of those tempting sweets and starchies and lots of other sinful goodies - could be detrimental to the activities of the endocrine system.

Diabetes - specifically type 2 - is a major health threat in Asia Pacific, most likely affecting the young population. Increasingly sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits are adding new pressures on health, which could result in the number of people - patients now of younger age bracket - with diabetes spiralling out of control. "It continues to be a silent killer and is striking younger people in Asia," study says.

Also, diabetes is now one of the most common non-communicable diseases worldwide and is the fourth to fifth leading cause of death in most developed countries. There is substantial evidence that it is also reaching epidemic levels in many developing and newly industrialized nations.

Type 2 diabetes is a major health threat and can take 10 years off a person's lifespan, is the leading cause of stroke in Asia, every 10 seconds a person dies from diabetes-related causes, every 30 seconds a limb is lost to diabetes somewhere in the world, and that 80 percent of people with diabetes die from cardiovascular events.

One of the country's top endocrinologists, Dr. Gerry Tan, M.D., who heads the Treatment Center for Diabetes, Thyroid Diseases and Osteoporosis of the Cebu Doctors University Hospital, cited that developments in technology and changes in society due to population growth, aging, urbanization and increasing prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity have led to a more sedentary population. Modernization has also exposed people in developing nations to new risk factors of this disease. Further, some people have a genetically higher risk of developing diabetes, and combined with these changes in lifestyle, this risk has turned into a reality for many people today.

"Blood glucose control is the key to diabetes management, but diagnosis is often late and blood glucose levels may have already spiralled out of control. After diagnosis, very few people achieve blood glucose control," he underscored.

However, that was only a warning, thus no room for panic. What I mean is that there is a better way of dealing with diabetes - Type 2 - that is. Recent report provided by Weber Shandwick states that Filipino type 2 diabetes patients can now look forward to potentially preventing complications of the disease as positive results were released by A Diabetes Outcome Progression Trial (ADOPT), an international study designed to evaluate long-term efficacy of monotherapy against type 2 diabetes.

The results were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the 19th World Diabetes Congress of the International Diabetes Federation being held in South Africa.

Results demonstrated that initial treatment with rosiglitazone maleate reduced the risk of monotherapy failure in people with type 2 diabetes by 32 percent compared to metformin, and 63 percent compared to glyburide at five years.

Tan explained that glyburide is a sulfonylurea available as glibenclamide locally. This means that the progressive loss of blood sugar control can be delayed and desired blood sugar levels can be maintained for a longer period through rosiglitazone maleate therapy. He mentioned that the study involved 4,360 people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

By the way, type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease that occurs when the body fails to effectively respond to insulin, produced by beta cells to control blood sugar levels. ADOPT showed that rosiglitazone maleate significantly improved insulin sensitivity and reduced the rate of loss of beta-cell function. With this study, Filipino diabetes patients could now have an option to replace older therapies like metformin and sulfonylurea with rosiglitazone maleate.

"This is definitely good news for Filipino type 2 diabetes patients. The value of early detection and aggressive management cannot be over-emphasized as complications of diabetes can be prevented. ADOPT results tell us there is now a better way to achieve this," says Dr. Joven Tanchuco, vice president for medical and regulatory affairs of GlaxoSmithKline.

"To delay the onset of diabetic complications, adequate screening and early treatment are necessary. At this time, our understanding of the disease tells us that treatment should aim to improve insulin sensitivity and preserve beta cell function. Both are achievable with rosiglitazone maleate and its benefits over metformin and sulfonylurea which was demonstrated in ADOPT," he added.

Rosiglitazone maleate belongs to the thiazolidinedione (TZD) class of drugs and is an approved treatment of type 2 diabetes that improves blood sugar control, enabling people to reach recommended blood sugar levels.

However, patients should consult their physician first to find out if rosiglitazone maleate is appropriate treatment for them, Dr. Tan advised.

* * *

Visit pinaymangatkatay.multiply.com,
Interact 09215323616