With most patients not following advice on change in lifestyle, Aussie researcher now says...
With most patients not following advice on change in lifestyle, Aussie researcher now says...
Earlier and more aggressive treatment with medication and insulin injections, rather than first-line advice about healthy eating and exercise to newly diagnosed diabetes patients can greatly reduce the onset of serious eye, nerve and kidney problems, according to a leading Australian researcher.
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Diabetes specialist, Associate Professor Richard MacIsaac of the Endocrine Centre at the University of Melbourne says the "wait and see" approach generally resulted in a patient's blood glucose levels becoming progressively worse, raising the risk of eye damage that leads to blindness, kidney disease and nerve damage.
Researchers have found one in two Australian patients who visit their GP for type2 diabetes should be treated earlier and more aggressively.
Evidence suggests intensive glucose control delays the onset and progression of diabetes-related complications and makes for a better quality of life.
"We should be trying to prevent a rise in sugar levels from the time of diagnosis rather than trying to bring them down later," MacIsaac says.
A study of about 3,900 patients from about 500 general practices in Australia found a quarter had blood sugar levels well above the acceptable range, despite the new generation of drugs and long-lasting insulin that can effectively manage the disease.
The research is to be published in the Internal Medicine Journal and reflects a push internationally for more aggressive treatment.
Meanwhile, Diabetes Australia-NSW is filming an educational DVD this week to be sent to Sydney medical practitioners showing the importance of early insulin administration.
However, one GP admitted there were several barriers.
"Most of us GPs find it easier to prescribe a tablet, just as it's easier for a patient to take tablets than change their lifestyle."
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald.
3,900
The sample size of the patients researched
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