Diabetes

A 54-year-old woman with a 10-year history of insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus was referred by her optometrist because of the recent onset of blurrinessin her right eye. Her optometrist told her that new blood vessel growth and leakage had developed.

A 54-year-old woman with a 10-year history of insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus was referred by her optometrist because of the recent onset of blurrinessin her right eye. Her optometrist told her that new blood vessel growth and leakage had developed.

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Two years after receiving transplants of insulin-producing beta islet cells, only five of 36 patients with type 1 diabetes remained free of the need for insulin injections, reported investigators in a small multinational trial.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Diabetes is a strong predictor of acute organ failure and early death for obese or non-obese patients alike, eclipsing even obesity without diabetes, researchers here reported.

BOSTON -- The use of a GnRH agonist for local or regional prostate cancer is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, coronary heart disease, heart attack, and sudden cardiac death, according to researchers here.

CHICAGO -- Patients with type 2 diabetes who are chronically sleep deprived may have impaired glucose control and more serious complications of type 2 diabetes, researchers here found.

CHICAGO -- Patients with type 2 diabetes who are chronically sleep deprived may have impaired glucose control and more serious complications of type 2 diabetes, researchers here found.

COPENHAGEN -- The ACE-inhibitor Altace (ramipril) does not prevent type 2 diabetes in patients with impaired glucose metabolism, found DREAM trial researchers.

COPENHAGEN -- The ACE-inhibitor Altace (ramipril) does not prevent type 2 diabetes in patients with impaired glucose metabolism, found DREAM trial researchers.

My patient has diabetes, end-stage renal disease, and congestive heart failure (CHF)--and does not want to use insulin. What oral medication(s) would be considered optimal in this setting?

In patients with diabetes who have end-stage renal disease and CHF, the choice of oral medications is limited because metformin is contraindicated. Glipizide has a 5% renal clearance and is relatively safe. Studies suggest that glimepiride is the safest of the sulfonylureas.

MONTREAL -- A coronary artery calcium score, obtained via CT, can accurately predict the development of atherosclerotic and ischemic disease in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a report at the American Society of Nuclear cardiology meeting here.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Race does not seem to substantially affect diabetic retinopathy in type 1 diabetes, according to a six-year study of African Americans here.

WASHINGTON -- The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a crusading group that has long ranked vegetarianism high on its agenda, has made a compelling case for a low-fat vegan diet to improve glycemic control.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- One reason African Americans with type 2 diabetes tend to have comparatively poor clinical outcomes may be cultural, investigators here reported.

EXETER, England -- Children who need insulin injections because of a rare type of diabetes may be able to do well instead with an oral sulfonylurea, according to researchers here.

Is the weight gain associated with thiazolidinediones (TZDs) counterproductive to the treatment of diabetes?

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- The onset of type 2 diabetes before age 20 in Pima Indians, who are genetically prone to the disease, was associated with an increased risk of early kidney failure and death between ages 25 to 55, researchers reported.

BOSTON -- Two common genetic variants appear to contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes for some patients with impaired glucose tolerance, found researchers here. But lifestyle moves seem to be able to combat the enhanced risk.

BOSTON -- Women with type 2 diabetes have a nearly two-fold increased risk of developing primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of the disease, found researchers here.

Which medications should be stopped first when a patient starts using insulin? Are there any that should be continued?

TORONTO - Diabetes is the clinical equivalent of aging 15 years, thrusting men and women with the disease into a high-risk category for cardiovascular disease while still in middle-age.

BOSTON ? High levels of retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4), which transports vitamin A as its main job, may be an early warning sign for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, according to researchers here.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The two-hour oral glucose tolerance test - often avoided by busy physicians - should be part of the diagnostic work-up for patients with chronic idiopathic axonal neuropathy, researchers here contend.

WASHINGTON - Liraglutide, an investigational injectable drug for type 2 diabetes, has produced significant decreases in HbA1c levels, as well as significant and sustained weight loss, according to phase 2 studies.

WASHINGTON - Tight glucose control leading to episodes of hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes does not appear to lead to cognitive problems, as some had feared, researchers reported here.

WASHINGTON ? Among patients who live more than 50 years with type 1 diabetes, a significant proportion show evidence of a residual population of insulin-secreting beta islet cells, according to research presented here.

WASHINGTON ? Januvia (sitagliptin), an investigational oral agent for type 2 diabetes, appears to be effective when given as a monotherapy or as an adjunct to Glucophage (metformin) or Actos (pioglitazone), reported researchers here.

WASHINGTON ? If medications for four optimal therapeutic goals of diabetes could be combined into a single pill, the risk of diabetes related heart attacks could be cut in half over the next 30 years.

WASHINGTON ? Antidepressant medications appears to further increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in those with impaired glucose tolerance, researchers reported here.