Thermometers
May Save Limbs
A special thermometer that measures the soles of diabetics'
feet may help prevent foot ulcers, which can lead to
amputations if not caught early.
A study of 225 veterans with diabetes found that using the
thermometer reduced, by nearly two thirds, the number of
high-risk patients who developed foot ulcers. The study is the
third in a series of government-funded research. With the
thermometer, patients measure a certain number of spots on
each foot. Once the thermometer signals a hot spot, patients
get off their feet for about a day or until the temperature normalizes.
Taking pressure off prior to the skin cracking allows
the body to heal more easily, compared with a full wound.
Can Obesity Surgery
Cure Diabetes?
Weight-loss surgery was more effective as a treatment for
type 2 diabetes, according to a new study of 60 patients.
The study found that 73% of patients who had adjustable
gastric banding surgery had total remission of their diabetes,
compared with 13% of those given conventional treatment.
Researchers noted that the results do not apply to all
patients with type 2 diabetes. The participants had fairly mild
cases and received the diagnosis within the previous 2 years.
For patients with more severe and more years with diabetes,
the disease may not be reversible. The findings were reported
in the January 23, 2008, issue of the Journal of the
American Medical Association.
Diabetes Costs Skyrocket
The uncontrolled diabetes epidemic is taking a heavy
financial toll—$174 billion a year, according to the January
23, 2008, study released by the American Diabetes
Association (ADA). The price tag is as much as the wars in
Iraq, Afghanistan, and the global war on terrorism combined.
It costs $24 billion more than the damages caused by
Hurricane Katrina.
The financial burden also falls on individuals without the
disease through rising health insurance premiums and
copays, stated Paul Fronstin of the Employee Benefit
Research Institute, who was not involved with the report.
The study showed that about half of the patients with diabetes
have medical insurance through government programs.
Routine care for patients with diabetes cost relatively
little. The real cost comes from uncontrolled diabetes,
said Ann Albright, PhD, RD, president of health care and education
at the ADA, which funded the study.
Dr. Albright anticipates the number of patients diagnosed
with diabetes to rise, taking into account that many
Americans have prediabetes, with trouble handling insulin
and sugar. For more information on the report, visit
www.diabetes.org.
Diabetes Linked to Blood Vessel Inflammation
A study, reported in the November
20, 2007, online issue of the Journal of
Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism,
found a new pathway that increases a
dangerous inflammation of blood vessels
in patients with diabetes. The researchers
believe that good control of
the disease may reduce this inflammation
and possibly lower the risk of heart
disease.
The investigators found that patients
with type 1 diabetes have increased expression
and signaling of 2 main receptors
within the innate immune system.
These Toll-like receptors, known as TLR2
and TLR4, are part of a family of pattern-recognition
receptors. The investigators
concluded that an increased expression
of TLR2 and TLR4 in patients with type 1
diabetes adds to blood-vessel inflammation.
Sleep Disruption Ups Diabetes Risk
Interrupting sleep damages the body's ability to regulate
blood-sugar levels and increases the odds of type 2 diabetes,
especially in young adults. The current study, reported in the
December 31, 2007, issue of the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, provides the first evidence linking poor
sleep quality to an increased diabetes risk. Nine lean, healthy
individuals (between the ages of 20 and 31) were observed
for 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep to establish their normal
sleep patterns, then for a 3-night study period, during which
the researchers purposely disturbed their sleep when their
brain waves showed the beginning of slow-wave sleep.
At the study's conclusion, the researchers administered
intravenous glucose to each participant and took blood samples
every few minutes to measure the levels of glucose and
insulin. They found that the participants were 25% less sensitive
to insulin following nights of interrupted sleep.
F A S T F A C T : Foot ulcers strike 600,000 patients with diabetes in the United States each year.
