Diabetes

Among the disorders in the spotlight this week: intussusception, Celiac disease, sickle cell disease. See how well you do.

Lowering blood sugar levels is a promising strategy for preventing memory problems and cognitive decline as persons age, even for those whose blood sugar levels fall within the normal range.

A new study from Mississippi shows not only a steady increase in ED visits by patients with diabetes mellitus, but also a steady increase in the prevalence of patients with this disease.

A patient no-shows. What's your gut reaction? Be honest. Relief, right? But after the relief is drowned in a flood of walk-ins and emergencies, I wonder about my role in community medicine.

This case focuses on duplicate therapy resulting from the use of prescription medications, which can result in serious adverse effects.

Persons with type 2 diabetes are at risk for asymptomatic atrial fibrillation and subsequent cerebrovascular events.

Incretin drugs, which offer ease of use, very little hypoglycemia, and no weight gain (or even weight loss) seem to be an ideal therapy. But 80% to 90% of patients don’t stay on them. Why not?

Urinary protein levels may be an early marker of future cognitive decline in patients with type 2 DM and normal kidney function, according to a new study.

In patients with diabetes who do not have foot ulcers, cellulitis is most often caused by Streptococcus and only occasionally by Staphylococcus species.

The risk of obstructive sleep apnea is increased nearly 7-fold in pregnant women with gestational DM, according to a study that used polysomnography to evaluate sleep quality.

A gene variant strongly associated with development of type 2 diabetes mellitus appears to respond to a Mediterranean diet to prevent stroke.

What study would you order to determine the cause of progressively worsening crampy abdominal pain and unintentional weight loss in an older patient with diabetes?

The clinical presentation-crampy abdominal pain after meals, weight loss, and loose stools-is consistent with chronic mesenteric ischemia given this patient's history of diabetes.

To gain a better understanding of this national and global epidemic and its impact, consider these key facts and figures.

It is reasonable to conclude that out-of-control DM, strokes, and myocardial infarctions can increase the risk of dementia, said a study author.

Incretin-based T2DM therapy is not a direct cause of pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer asserts the European Medicines Agency.

GLP-1 receptor antagonists suppress post-meal glucose excursions and are compatible with basal insulin; the combination addresses both FPG and PPG.

Although this study did not show benefits for heart disease, it has shown that weight loss improves many other health problems.

Bariatric surgery is recommended along with oral therapy to help patients with type 2 diabetes control overweight and obesity.

Sodium-glucose linked transporter 2 inhibitors lower renal threshold for glucose transport, cause glycosuria, improved glycemic control, weight loss.

Initial triple-agent therapy for type 2 diabetes, compared with step-wise add-on therapy, produced a durable drop in A1C.

Combination therapy that addresses both fasting and post-meal glucose elevation is the next big thing in T2DM management.

Obesity and kidney disease need to be aggressively managed in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Added confirmation also indicates that increased weight is not the only cause of a greater risk.

Betatrophin, a naturally occurring hormone, may help restore beta cell mass, and so insulin production, lost through the pathologic changes of the diabetic process.