Diabetes

Studies presented at the American Diabetes Association's meeting in San Francisco took a deeper look at what the presence of fat does to overweight children. Researchers found that signs of trouble emerge early, with implications for the treatment of youths with type 1 diabetes, and those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

A symposium on the new drug class, SGLT2 inhibitors, drew plenty of interest from attendees at the American Diabetes Association meeting in San Francisco. SGLT2 inhibitors have gained notice, both for their ability to reduce A1C levels and for their potential to help patients lose weight.

A symposium that focused on the relationship between behavioral health and diabetes examined how the challenges of living with the disease wear on patients over time, ahead of results presented Sunday showing that much of what is diagnosed as "depression" in diabetes may not be. Presenters offered 3 models for better coordination of care.

Studies released at the 74th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association included results of programs to get patients to take more control over their own care.

A diabetes patient navigator program in Birmingham, Alabama, a joint project of the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation and Sanofi US, resulted in lower A1C levels for its participants. Patients also reported higher levels of satisfaction in managing their disease.

Two studies presented at the American Diabetes Association's 74th Scientific Sessions show that evaluating diabetes risk and patient health by nation of origin and ethnic background yields richer insights into how the disease affects populations.​

Trimming the costs of diabetes to the healthcare system will take multiple strategies, but there's a lack of consensus on precisely how each will work. Are the new recommendations on statins worth the cost?

For years, the standard for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been step therapy. Patients are told to make changes in their diets and to exercise more. Then, most start metformin; if T2DM progresses, doctors add drugs from among the dozen other classes, either alone but typically in combination.

Deneen Vojta, MD, UnitedHealth Group, says that the healthcare landscape is shifting to delivery models that focus on greater value-based care, such as accountable care models.

Teresa Pearson, MS, RN, CDE, Innovative Health Care Designs, LLC, uses her experience as a diabetes educator to discuss how community care teams can build an effective virtual healthcare delivery system.

Jan Berger, MD, MJ, moderates a discussion on the evolution of the diabetes care team. She is joined by Starlin Haydon-Greatting, MS, BSPharm, FAPhA , Geoffrey Joyce, PhD, Edmund Pezalla, MD, MPH, and Rebecca Killion, MA.

This panel, led by moderator Dennis Scanlon, PhD, Penn State University, asks the question, "Why should a payer or a plan be involved in patient care?" Dr Scanlon is joined by panelists Teresa Pearson, MS, RN, CDE, FAADE; Deneen Vojta, MD; Todd Prewitt, MD, FAAFP; and Amy Tenderich.

Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD, discusses the changes he wishes to see in the healthcare system that he calls a "journey toward quality," and with his work at the Joslin Diabetes Center, he dreams of ridding the world of diabetes by implementing innovation.

Starlin Haydon-Greatting, MS, BSPharm, claims that pharmacist education has changed; by furthering education and credentials, a pharmacist's role in the healthcare world can extend far beyond what were once thought to be the traditional roles of the pharmacist. Pharmacists' involvement in programs such as the Medication Therapy Management, for example, can have a positive impact on health management in general.

Jan Berger, MD, MJ, begins the discussion by asking the panelists what they believe to be the biggest challenge in addressing diabetes.

Josh Benner, PharmD, ScD, President and Founder of RxAnti, discusses a new program designed to help improve medication adherence through a better engagement of healthcare providers.

Nadia S. Islam, PhD, shares her experiences with overcoming ethnic disparities in diabetes care regarding her work in the Asian American communities of New York City. She explains that her research primarily relies upon the active participation of community members and academia, focusing more specifically on the extraordinarily diverse Asian American population.

Special Guest Speaker Jay Hewitt, an Ironman triathlete who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1991, capped Thursday night's sessions with a personal account of living with diabetes. Mr Hewitt provided important insight to the importance of appropriate diabetes management.

Rebecca Killion, MA, McKenna Long & Aldridge, says that patients' adherence to diabetes treatment is anything but simple.

Two articles in Evidence-Based Diabetes Management examine the relationships among stress, diabetes and the brain, and the growing body of research into yoga's positive effects on reducing stress and improving health.

The pandemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus requires implementation of multifactorial interventions by clinicians for individual patients and policy makers for the health of the general public.