Articles

Hemoglobin variability over time in dialysis patients proved a strong predictor of death from any cause, according to a new study.

Measuring patients’ glycosylated hemoglobin levels (A1C) could be used to screen for diabetes, according to California-based researchers. It was shown to be more effective then using fasting blood sugars.

The FDA has decided to allow the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline) to stay on the market with increased warnings about the risk of cardiovascular events, while further studies are conducted to investigate the issue. A myocardial infarction warning will be added to the black box warning.

Only one in three adults with diabetes wears shoes that fit properly, exposing themselves to serious foot problems that could lead to amputation, a new British study shows. The researchers measured the feet and shoes of 100 adults with diabetes at a diabetes clinic.

Like the omega-3 fatty acid EPA, DHA also enhances the effectiveness of statin medication in patients with high blood lipids by lowering triglycerides by about 27%.

Patients with type 2 diabetes given fenofibrate for lipid lowering required significantly less laser treatment for retinopathy, investigators reported.

If patients taking simvastatin (Zocor) develop sleep disturbances, changing statins may be a good idea, researchers suggested at the AHA scientific meeting.

Pioglitazone (Actos) appeared, at worst, neutral for cardiovascular risk, except heart failure, in yet another meta-analysis examining thiazolidinedione safety.

The angiotensin-receptor blocker candesartan (Atacand) markedly reduced the risk of new-onset diabetes, despite failing to show significantly improved reduction in cardiovascular events.

Mayo Clinic researchers helped clarify a growing concern about the link between diabetes treatments and heart attack with the first large study showing that sulfonylureas do not reduce diabetic patients’ heart attack survival rates.