September 15, 2018 : Issue #955

• A Major Diabetes Complication That We Fail to Address
• Empagliflozin Use in People with Type 2 and History of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG)
• Reduced Physical Activity in Adults with Prediabetes Puts Them at Risk, Study Finds
• Gestational Diabetes in Mothers May Have Long-Term Consequences for Offspring
• Hypoglycemia Without Diabetes?
• The Key to Device Success? Make Insulin Therapy Easy

This week, our friends at Team Novo Nordisk, the only professional cycling team comprised of riders with type 1 diabetes, completed their most successful season.

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We can make a difference!

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Dave Joffe

Editor-in-chief

What percentage of your patients with diabetes would benefit from Real-Time CGM? 0 to 25%, 26% to 50%, 51% to 75%, or 76% to 100%? Follow the link and see how you compare to your colleagues.

Nonadherence to diabetes medications 2nd leading cause of hospitalizations

True or False: there is an antidiabetic medication available on the US market with an indication from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent cardiovascular (CV) disease. Follow the link for the answer.

New research suggests that there could be too much of a “good” thing. Very high blood levels of HDL cholesterol may actually be bad for you. The research linked it to a higher risk for heart attack, and even death, among patients who already had heart problems or who faced a higher risk of developing heart disease. Researchers who studied almost 6,000 adults with an average age of 63 found those with HDL cholesterol levels above 60 mg/dL were at a 50% higher risk for heart attack or heart disease death, compared with those whose HDL levels were 41 mg/dL to 60 mg/dL. The research linked it to a higher risk for heart attack, and even death, among patients who already had heart problems or who faced a higher risk of developing heart disease. On average, the participants were 63 years old and about one-third were women. Their HDL levels ranged from a low of less than 30 mg/dL to a high of greater than 60 mg/dL of blood.  Over the course of the study, 13 percent of the patients had a heart attack or died from a cardiovascular cause. The findings showed those with HDL levels below 41 mg/dL were also at an increased risk for heart attack or heart disease death. At the study’s end, the researchers concluded that patients with HDL levels in the middle-range of the spectrum — meaning between 41 to 60 mg/dL of blood — fared the best, having the lowest risk for heart attack or death from heart disease. — The findings were presented August 25, 2018 at the European Society of Cardiology meeting, in Munich, Germany.

Nonadherence to diabetes medications 2nd leading cause of hospitalizations

Research still limited in regard to SGLT2 inhibitor use and its ability to reduce CVD risk in patients after revascularization

Two weeks of inactivity found to cause impaired glycemic control; may progress patients to type 2 diabetes

Newborns at increased risk for vascular complications, such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

A look into health conditions, other than diabetes, that may cause hypoglycemia.

Guest Post by David Kliff, Editor, Diabetic Investor

Whether the toy makers realize it or not, the key to getting their toys played with is to make the toy as easy to use as possible. This ease of use does not just mean things like easy insertion of a sensor, like Dexcom has done with the G6 or Abbott has done with the Libre. It goes beyond not having to calibrate either of these sensors. When it comes to increasing the use of insulin, it means making dosing insulin as “stupid” as possible; take all the decisions out of the hands of the patient.