DIABETES WATCH

What Did You Say?

A study, reported online June 17, 2008, in the Annals ofInternal Medicine, found that hearing loss is twice as commonin individuals with diabetes, compared with individuals withoutthe disease. The findings were based on data from 5140adults aged 20 to 69 who underwent hearing tests.

The tests indicated that low- or mid-frequency hearingimpairment of mild or greater severity was found in 21% ofthe 399 participants with diabetes and 9% of the 4741 whodid not have it. High-frequency hearing impairment of mild orgreater severity was detected in 54% of those with diabetes,compared with 32% of those without it. The researchers saidthat diabetes may lead to hearing loss by damaging the nervesand blood vessels of the inner ear.

Women with Diabetes, Heart Disease Get Less Care

Women may have more trouble controlling their diabetesand heart disease because they receive less medical treatmentcompared with men, a new study has found. The results mayexplain why death from heart disease is being reduced in menwith diabetes but not among women. The study results werebased on nearly 45,000 patients with type 2 diabetes, 40% ofwhom had heart and vascular disease. ?More aggressive treatmentof cardiovascular disease in women with diabetes mayimprove gender disparity in cardiovascular disease mortality,?said study author Ionanna Gouni-Berthold, MD.

Better Glycemic Control Needed in Pregnant Women

British women whose glycemic levelsare poorly controlled before and duringpregnancy have poorer outcomes andtheir babies are not as healthy, accordingto findings from the ConfidentialEnquiry into Maternal and Child Health,a 12-month survey of pregnant womenwith type 1 and type 2 diabetes in theUnited Kingdom.

?Women with diabetes continue tohave higher perinatal mortality and highercongenital abnormality rates than thegeneral population,? according to studydirector Jo Modder, MD, consultant tothe National Health Service Foundation,London. The findings were presentedrecently at the American DiabetesAssociation?s 68th Annual ScientificSession. For more news from the meeting,visit www.PharmacyTimes.com/ADA.

Weight Loss May Drive Diabetes into Remission

Weight reduction plays an important role in improving diabetesafter obese patients undergo gastric bypass surgery, accordingto findings presented recently at the American Society forMetabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The researchers were quickto point out that the metabolic effects should not take priorityover the importance of losing weight following surgery.

The study included patients with obesity and diabetes whohad stomach-reduction surgery. Of the patients, 71 had severediabetes that necessitated insulin therapy because oral medicationscould not control the disease.

After 1 year, all the patients were able to lower the dose ornumber of their diabetes-related medications. Of the patientswith severe diabetes, 48% went into remission. ResearcherEric DeMaria, MD, stressed that weight loss during the first 3weeks to 6 months following gastric bypass surgery was vitalfor patients to achieve diabetes remission.

Diabetes, Depression Linked, Study Says

A study, reported in the June 18, 2008,issue of the Journal of the AmericanMedical Association, found an interestingtwist on depression and diabetes.Patients receiving treatment for type 2diabetes face increased risk for depression.Individuals with depression havea moderately greater risk of developingtype 2 diabetes.

The researchers explored the associationbetween diabetes and depressionby analyzing data on 6814 participantswho had 3 examinations between 2000and 2005. Of the 4847 patients withoutdepression, the frequency of depressionsymptoms during follow-up was similarfor patients without diabetes and thosewith untreated type 2 diabetes. The rate,however, was twice as high in patientsbeing treated for type 2 diabetes.

The study also indicated that patientswith depression symptoms were nearly30% more prone to develop diabetesduring the study.

F A S T F A C T : Diabetes households spend an average of $106 per month on prescription medications, according to Wilson Health Information.