Category Archives: Diabetes

STRICTLY FOR EUROPEAN MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL TRADE MEDIA ONLY

A new expert-led report has today been launched to help outline key challenges and inequalities in the care of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its associated renal and cardiovascular complications, and highlight some Calls to Action to try and address these gaps for the 53 million Europeans living with T2DM.1 A New Era in Diabetes Care is a non-promotional disease awareness initiative that brings together a European Multidisciplinary Steering Committee of diabetes, nephrology and primary care experts, funded by Mundipharma International Limited. The report, authored by the Steering Committee, explores five main areas within the management of T2DM, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD):

"The complications of type 2 diabetes, such as chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease, are a huge burden on patients and healthcare systems and with the increasing prevalence of the disease, the situation is expected to get worse. These two complications are directly linked, so by treating and slowing progression of chronic kidney disease, clinicians may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in these patients," commented Professor David Wheeler, Chair of the A New Era in Diabetes Care Steering Committee, and Professor of Kidney Medicine at University College London, Honorary Consultant Nephrologist at the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. "This report highlights how critical it is for physicians to screen early for chronic kidney disease, treat appropriately, and regularly review treatment outcomes in their patients, to prevent the development of serious complications."

The Steering Committee also discussed the management of T2DM and its complications through the lens of COVID-19, and agreed that annual screening for CKD should continue to take place while also protecting people with T2DM, by following the relevant shielding guidelines and using telemedicine where appropriate.

Approximately 59 million people in Europe currently live with diabetes, which is set to rise to 67 million by 2045.1 If left untreated, patients are at greater risk of developing serious health complications, such as renal disease and cardiovascular disease, which are the two most common causes of death for T2DM patients.2,3 It is estimated that more than 40% of people with T2DM will develop CKD,4 and nearly a third will develop CVD.2

As part of the A New Era in Diabetes Care initiative, Mundipharma conducted a general public survey of 9,143 adults in eight countries across Europe, which uncovered several gaps in the awareness of T2DM and its links with other systemic complications such as CKD and CVD.5 Nearly half of survey respondents (42%, n=3,840) were unaware there are two main types of diabetes (type I and type 2) and almost all (94%, n=8,594) were unaware that nine out of 10 people with diabetes have T2DM. When asked what they thought were the most serious complications of T2DM, only a third (32%, n=2,926) of respondents chose CKD, and less than half (46%, n=4,206) chose CVD, despite these being two of the main causes of death in this patient population.2,3

Participants were also unsure when it came to the symptoms of CKD, with just 7% (n=640) correctly recognising that in the early stages of CKD, there are usually no symptoms, making it vital to conduct routine screening to diagnose it before it has progressed. In regard to treating CKD, almost half of respondents (43%, n=3,931) were unaware that although incurable, the worsening of the disease can be controlled by appropriate treatment and by managing blood pressure and blood sugar levels. The impact of CKD was also underestimated with only 29% (n=2,651) of people thinking it can have a major impact on someones mental health and less than half (47%, n=4,297) believing it to have a major impact on quality of life.

"The findings of this expert-led report, in addition to the recent survey results, emphasise that in both healthcare settings and amongst the general public, the kidneys are not top of the agenda when it comes to type 2 diabetes mellitus. This report aims to provide primary and secondary healthcare professionals with a structured care plan for patient-focused prevention, monitoring and treatment of chronic kidney disease in type 2 diabetes," said Dr Vinicius Gomes de Lima, European Medical Affairs Lead, Mundipharma.

Story continues

The report can be downloaded here: https://www.dcvd.org/tl_files/download/Bilder/A%20New%20Era%20in%20Diabetes%20Care%20Report.pdf

-END-

Notes to the editors:

About the A New Era in Diabetes Care initiative

In February 2020, a group of eight European primary and secondary care healthcare professionals (HCPs) with expertise in diabetes and nephrology formed the A New Era in Diabetes Care Steering Committee, with the mission to:

The Chair of the Steering Committee is Professor David Wheeler, Professor of Kidney Medicine at University College London and Honorary Consultant Nephrologist at the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, London. Other members include:

The A New Era in Diabetes Care initiative has been made possible by financial support from Mundipharma International Limited, who has provided logistical support, as well as honoraria for the Steering Committee. Mundipharma International Limited has had no input into the content of the report but have checked for factual accuracy. Final editorial control of the report remains with the Steering Committee.

About the Mundipharma network

Mundipharma is a global network of privately-owned independent associated companies whose purpose is To Move Medicine Forward. With a high performing and learning organisation that strives for innovation and commercial excellence through partnerships, we have successfully transformed and diversified our European portfolio of medicines to create value for patients, healthcare professionals, payers and wider healthcare systems across important therapeutic areas such as Diabetes, Oncology, Biosimilars, Anti-Infectives and Respiratory.

References:

1 IDF Diabetes Atlas Ninth Edition 2019. Available at: https://www.diabetesatlas.org/upload/resources/material/20200302_133351_IDFATLAS9e-final-web.pdf Last accessed May 2020

2 Einarson T, Acs A, Ludwig C. et al. Prevalence of cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes: a systematic literature review of scientific evidence from across the world in 2007-2017. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2018 Jun 8;17(1):83.

3 Tuttle K, Bakris G, Bilous R. et al. Diabetic kidney disease: a report from an ADA Consensus Conference. Diabetes Care. 2014; 37(10):2864-83.

4 Alicic R, Rooney M, Tuttle K. Diabetic Kidney Disease: Challenges, Progress, and Possibilities. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017; 12(12):2032-45.

5 Mundipharma International Limited General Public Diabetes Awareness Survey. Carried out by Research Without Barriers from 15-27 April 2020. Data on file.

Job code: MINT/DIAB-20009

Date of preparation: June 2020

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200603005732/en/

Contacts

Cendrine Banerjee-Quetel Asset Communications Associate, Mundipharma International Ltd Email: Cendrine.Banerjee-Quetel.external@mundipharma.com Tel: +44 (0) 1223 393 009

Abbie Bell Account Director, Havas SO E-mail: HavasSO-Mundipharma@havasso.com Tel: +44 7375 660 515

Continued here:
European Steering Committee launch A New Era in Diabetes Care report highlighting the need to improve the quality of care for people with type 2...

A research team led by Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine's Professor OGAWA Wataru (the Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology) and Project Associate Professor NOGAMI Munenobu (the Department of Radiology) has discovered that metformin, the most widely prescribed anti-diabetic drug, causes sugar to be excreted in the stool.

Metformin has been used for more than 60 years, and is the most frequently prescribed drug for diabetes in the world. Administration of metformin lowers blood sugar levels, but the mechanism behind this effect was not clear. Metformin's mode of action has thus been actively researched over the world.

Taking advantage of the new bio-imaging apparatus PET-MRI, the research team revealed that metformin promotes the excretion of blood sugar from the large intestine into the stool. This is a completely new discovery that has never previously been predicted.

The current finding may explain metformin's biological actions for which the underlying mechanism is unknown, and contribute to the development of new drugs for diabetes.

These findings were published on June 3, 2020 in the online edition ofDiabetes Care, a medical journal published by the American Diabetes Association.

Main Points

Research Background

Diabetes is characterized by the elevation of blood sugar concentration, which damages the blood vessels and in turn leads to various diseases. More than 400 million people suffer from diabetes around the world, therefore the prevention of diabetes and its related diseases is an important global medical issue.

A number of drugs that reduce blood sugar concentration are available. Among them, metformin is one of the oldest classes of drugs and has been used for more than 60 years. Metformin, recommended as a first-line drug in many countries, is the most frequently prescribed medication for diabetes.

However, the mechanism by which metformin lowers blood sugar concentration is not clear. Elucidation of this mechanism would contribute to the development of new and better drugs for diabetes. Consequently, research has been actively conducted into the action of metformin.

Summary of the DiscoveryFDG-PET (fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography) is an imaging test to study where and how much FDG (a substance similar to sugar) is accumulated in the body after the administration of this substance through the vessels. Because FDG behaves in a similar way to sugar in the human body, FDG-PET can reveal organs or tissues that consume or accumulate large amounts of sugar (*1).

FDG-PET is generally conduced with a device that integrates both a PET and a CT (computed tomography) device. Obtaining images using FDG-PET and CT allows for the detailed examination of locations where FDG is accumulated. Recently, a device in which PET and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) are integrated (PET-MRI) has been developed. MRI is used to examine the inside of the body using a strong magnetic field. It can examine bodily structures that cannot be analyzed by CT. PET-MRI is still a rare and valuable device; for example, only 9 units have been installed in Japan.

Professor Ogawa's research team used PET-MRI to investigate the movement of sugar in the bodies of diabetic patients, both those who were taking metformin and those who were not. The team found that sugar (i.e. FDG) is heavily accumulated in the intestine of patients taking metformin (Fig. 1). To understand where in the intestine sugar accumulates, the research team subsequently investigated the "wall of the intestine" and the "inside of the intestine (stool and other contents)" separately using a special technique.

They found that, in patients taking metformin, more sugar was accumulated in the areas inside the intestine that are distal to the ileum (the anal side part of the small intestine) (Fig. 2). On the other hand, there was no difference in sugar accumulation in the "wall of the intestine" between patients who were taking and not taking metformin.

These results indicate that, when a patient takes metformin, sugar in the blood is released from the intestine into the stool. Not only the finding that metformin promotes the excretion of sugar into the stool, but also the revelation that sugar is excreted from the intestine into the stool itself are new discoveries that were not anticipated.

Recently, a new anti-diabetic drug has been launched; the SGLT2 inhibitor, which lowers blood sugar concentrations by excreting sugar in the urine. Its beneficial clinical effects are attracting much attention. Excreting sugar into the stool, as triggered by metformin, may also be related to the SGLT2 inhibitor's sugar lowering effect.

The significance of this research and its future development

Previous studies using PET-CT showed that FDG was accumulated in the intestines of patients taking metformin. It was however assumed that FDG (sugar) was accumulated in the "wall of the intestine" without sufficient evidence because PET-CT cannot separately show the wall and the inside the intestine. In the current study, the new imaging technology PET-MRI allowed the research team to investigate the accumulation in the wall and the inside of the intestine (stool) separately, revealing for the first time that metformin-induced accumulation of sugar occurred exclusively inside the intestine.

Taking a SGLT2 inhibitor results in the excretion of tens of grams of sugar per day in the urine. In this study, it was not possible to quantitatively evaluate how many grams of sugar are excreted in the stool. The significance of this discovery will be further confirmed by using a new imaging method that will enable the excreted sugar in the stool to be quantified.

It is thought that changes in the intestinal flora caused by metformin (*2) are related to its blood sugar lowering effect, but how metformin alters the intestinal flora is completely unknown. Since changes in nutrients such as sugar affect the growth of bacteria, it is possible that metformin's effect of excreting sugar into the intestine may also be related to the changes in the intestinal flora.

Glossary

*1 Since cancers consume more sugar than normal tissue, FDG-PET is generally used to find cancers that are difficult to detect using other tests.

*2 The human intestine is inhabited by 100 to 1000 trillion intestinal bacteria, and these bacteria as a whole are referred to as intestinal flora. It is known that changes in the intestinal flora are related to the pathogenesis of diseases and the effects of drugs.

Reference:Morita, et al. (2020) Enhanced Release of Glucose into the Intraluminal Space of the Intestine Associated with Metformin Treatment as Revealed by [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose PET-MRI. Diabetes Care. DOI: 10.2337/dc20-0093

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

View post:
New Insight Into Metformin's Mode of Action As Anti-diabetic Drug - Technology Networks

Fractyl Laboratories is seeking to turn back the clock in Type 2 diabetes progression with its disease-modifying therapy.

FDA granted the Lexington, MA-based company IDE to launch a pivotal trial of the Revita DMR, a which holds the potential to eliminate the need for insulin injections in patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes.

Insulin is a challenging drug for patients with Type 2 diabetes because it can cause weight gain, Harith Rajagopalan M.D. Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Fractyl told MD+DI. It can cause a risk of your blood sugar to drop too low (hypoglycemia); it can carry a stigma of injecting yourself with insulin, and can add a lot of burden to daily disease management.

He added, Revitas initial pivotal trial indication is to test the ability of the device to get patients off of insulin and back on to oral medications.

The pivotal trial is called Revita T2Di and is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study enrolling 300 patients at up to 35 sites around the world, with approximately 25 sites in the U.S.

Patients who have inadequately controlled T2D despite taking both oral drugs and insulin injections as well as adopting lifestyle changes will be enrolled in the trial. The primary endpoint of the study will be the percentage of patients who are able to achieve target glycemic control (HbA1c less than or equal to 7%) without the need for insulin at 24 weeks, comparing Revita DMR to the sham arm.

Fractyl won CE mark for Revita in 2016.

Earlier this year, we signed a historic contract with the HCA Hospital in the UK to offer Revita Commercially to patients, Rajagopalan said. Just as we were going to launch that service offering in partnership with HCA COVID-19 swept through the world and Europe. Elective procedures were halted. So, we have paused our commercial activities while we wait for the situation to clear.

Because of the impact COVID-19, the company isnt giving guidance on a timetable for its pivotal trial other than to say it could start at the end of this year.

Rajagopalan said, I think its a bit early to prognosticate on how our phased-reopening in the U.S. is going to affect what our situation is going to look like in 3Q20 and 4Q20; what impact a second wave might have; what impact this disease has on hospitals backlog; and the need to catch up on really important procedures that affect health.

View original post here:
Fractyl Seeks to Turn Diabetes On Its Ear with Revita DMR - Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry

Loss of a pregnancy may increase a womans risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, Danish researchers report.

Their study, in Diabetologia, included 24,774 women who developed diabetes after pregnancy and 247,740 controls who did not.

Compared with women who had been pregnant without losing a baby, those who lost one were at an 18 percent increased risk for diabetes, those who lost two were at a 38 percent higher risk and those who lost three or more had a 71 percent higher risk. The study adjusted for obesity and gestational diabetes, which are known to be associated with the development of Type 2 diabetes.

The reason for the association remains unknown. It may be that the same genetic background increases the risk for both pregnancy loss and diabetes, or that pre-diabetes present before the diagnosis of diabetes could lead to both. In any case, the authors stress that the observational finding does not prove cause and effect.

The lead author, Dr. Pia Egerup, a researcher at the Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Unit of the Rigshospitalet and Hvidovre Hospital in Copenhagen, said that the most important clinical implication is that pregnancy loss is a risk factor for diabetes.

Pregnancy loss is not only due to fetal disease, she said. A large proportion are healthy fetuses lost because of maternal conditions. As clinicians, we want to optimize pregnancy success and minimize the risk for future diabetes.

See the article here:
Pregnancy Loss Tied to Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes - The New York Times

New research has found that eating dairy foods appears to be linked to a lower risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. An international team of researchers studied 147,812 participants aged between 35 and 70 from 21 countries: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Iran, Malaysia, Palestine, Pakistan; Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.

The participants completed Food Frequency Questionnaires which assessed how they ate over the last 12 months. Dairy products included milk, yogurt, yogurt drinks, cheese and dishes prepared with dairy foods, which were classified as full or low fat (1 to 2%). Butter and cream were analyzed separately because they are not commonly eaten in some of the countries in the study.

Other factors such as the participants medical history, use of prescription medicines, smoking status, measurements of weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure and fasting blood glucose were also recorded. Participants were followed for an average of nine years.

The results showed that eating at least two servings of dairy each day is linked to an 11 to 12% lower risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, while three servings of total dairy each day are linked to a 13 to 14% lower risk. The associations were stronger for full-fat dairy than they were for low-fat dairy.

Two daily servings of total dairy were also linked to a 24% lower risk of metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of conditions that includes a higher waist circumference, high triglyceride levels, low levels of good cholesterol, hypertension (high blood pressure) and high fasting blood sugar, which together can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The relationship also was stronger for full-fat dairy; two servings of full fat were linked with a 28% lower risk of metabolic syndrome, compared with those who ate no dairy foods, and eating low-fat dairy was not associated with a lower prevalence of most of the conditions that make up metabolic syndrome.

The study is observational, so it does not prove a cause and effect relationship. However, if the findings are confirmed in sufficiently large and long-term trials, then eating more dairy foods may be an easy and inexpensive way to reduce metabolic syndrome, hypertension, diabetes and ultimately cardiovascular disease.

The rest is here:
Extension notes: Eating dairy foods may lower the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure - The Herald Journal

By

MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer

May 29, 2020, 7:30 PM

2 min read

2 min read

WASHINGTON -- U.S. health regulators are telling five drugmakers to recall their versions of a widely used diabetes medication after laboratory tests found elevated levels of a contaminant linked to cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration said late Thursday that several batches of the drug metformin tested positive for unsafe levels of a chemical called N-Nitrosodimethylamine. The agency has stepped up testing after the chemical was found in dozens of shipments of heartburn drugs last year, triggering recalls of Zantac and other popular over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Metformin tablets are a staple of diabetes care, reducing excess sugar in the blood. People with Type 2 diabetes use metformin alone or with other drugs to help control their blood sugar levels. More than 34 million people in the U.S. have this disease.

Patients should continue taking metformin drugs until their doctor can prescribe a replacement, the FDA said in a statement, noting the risks of discontinuing. Regulators are still assessing whether the recalls will lead to shortages of metformin, but noted that a number of other companies make generic versions of the drugs that don't appear to be affected by the issue.

Drugmaker Apotex Corp. recalled its extended-release metformin distributed in the U.S. earlier this week after the FDA found contamination in one lot. Apotex said in a statement it recalled all supplies of the drug out of an abundance of caution. The company said it stopped selling the drug in the U.S. in February 2019 and that little remains on the market.

The FDA announcement did not name the four other drugmakers who have been requested to recall their products.

The agency noted that no contamination problems have been found in immediate-release metformin.

The FDA is responsible for ensuring that medicines for the U.S. market are made in safe, sanitary conditions that meet federal quality standards. But government inspectors have repeatedly criticized the agency for falling short in reviewing overseas manufacturing plants as the pharmaceutical supply chain has increasingly spread to Asia.

In March, the FDA suspended nearly all U.S. and foreign inspections due to safety concerns and travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Read the original:
FDA finds contamination in several brands of diabetes drug - ABC News

FOX 2 - A Taylor woman's life has been changed forever because of COVID-19 and now she is in dire need of help. She will need to be moved to an acute rehab facility but not many are willing to take here because she had the virus.

"It is a lot, it is really overwhelming," said Wanavia Wilson. "Some nights I just cried all night, I didn't know what to do."

A Taylor woman's life has been changed forever because of COVID-19 and now she is in dire need of help.

Wanavia Wilson has been by her daughter's side since mid-May. Shantel Wilson, a 25-year-old mother of two small children, suffers from Type 1 diabetes. On May 12th she went to sleep and her blood sugar dropped to dangerous levels.

"When she is awake she notices the symptoms, the shakiness, the dizziness and she'll go and tested herself and eat something if it is low, because she was sleeping when it happened. She just kept sleeping and never woke up. (She was in a coma) for four days."

Doctors told her mother that Shantel suffered severe brain damage. Although she didn't have any symptoms, a routine test also revealed Shantel had COVID-19, which may have caused her blood to drop. She is now at Beaumont Farmington.

"She needs neurological therapies, speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy," Wanavia said. "Because her sugar was low for an undetermined amount of time, they said they said going that long caused significant damage to both sides of her brain and it affecting her speech and her behaviors. So right now, she is basically a child again."

Shantel will need to be moved to an acute rehab facility, but her mother says because she had coronavirus - no facility has been willing to take her.

"Things were starting to pick up for her," her mother said. "I was so happy and so proud of her when she bought her first house. I was so proud of her when she got her degree, and I was like things are going so well for you and then (this)."

Wanavia has been off work because of the pandemic and has been doing what she can to scrape enough money together to care for Shantel's young son and prepare her home to care for her daughter, who won't be able to do anything for herself.

She has started a GoFundMe page to help offset some of the costs. Wanavia knows so many people are struggling right now, but says anything would be appreciated.

"As a parent you want the best for your kids and it is just hard when you see your kid struggling," she said. "She is very stubborn, very smart, very hard working. I am hoping and praying that thing about her that makes her so stubborn and such a fighter., will help her get past this."

Shantel said her first words today. If you would like to contribute, GO HERE.

Continued here:
Mother of 2 with diabetes gets coronavirus and is left with brain damage - FOX 2 Detroit

One of the challenges of managing diabetic retinopathy is the numerous intricacies and nuances in its presentation outside of classic textbook.

Case reportA 52-year-old African-American male with type 1 diabetes had been referred 5 years earlier for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR, Figure 1) and had undergone treatment, including multiple intravitreal anti-VEFG (vascular endothelial growth factor) injections in both eyes and panretinal photocoagulation initially in both eyes (Figure 2).

Those procedures were followed by pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in the right eye as the result of progression of tractional retinal detachment involving his macula (Figure 3).

He did not have direct vitreomacular traction in the left eye as he was demonstrating a progressive increase in his central foveal thickness and enlarging intraretinal cystic spaces (Figure 4) while reporting progressive loss of his vision.

These findings were initially thought to be the result of diabetic macular leakage, but they were not responding to conventional anti-VEGF injections. A fluorescein angiography (FA) was performed to identify the source of this possible leakage. Although the FA showed leakage of active neovascularization elsewhere (NVE) and diffuse macular leakage in the right eye, there was no macular leakage in the left eye and mild leakage of an old patch of neovascularization of the disc (NVD, Figure 5)

This was contrary to the optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings that were showing the presence of epimacular (also called epiretinal) membrane (EMM) in the right eye and the cystic spaced left eye (Figure 6).

An alternative wide-field OCT (55) was performed to assess the vitreoretinal interface and the retinal thickness beyond the conventional central 30 scan. The results were remarkable, showing that tractional forces and tractional retinal detachment (TRD) extending from the disc toward the nasal retina was responsible for the macular appearance (Figure 7).

This pulling force is similar to dragging a rope tangentially to raise a sail. The patient underwent PPV and repair of the TRD. Following this procedure, the resolution of traction resulted in significant reduction of the schisis cavities in extramacular retina (Figure 8). Macular schisis, although improved, will take several months to slowly subside.

DiscussionIt is easy for clinicians to become accustomed to the routine and become complacent in practice methods. However, when unconventional and unexpected presentations arrive, clinicians need to step outside of the box and think of alternatives that help in managing patients and improving their quality of life.

Eyecare practitioners have incredible technology such as ultra widefield fundus imaging and spectral domain OCT at their disposal; however, they dont always use them to their maximum capabilities.

Related: Patient perception of good vision a trap leading to loss

Link:
Know the many facets of diabetic retinopathy - Optometry Times

By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | Updated: May 29, 2020 11:34:08 am It is the need of the hour to keep the sugar levels in check for the ones with diabetes as the cases of Covid-19 is increasing speedingly. (Source: Getty/Thinkstock/Pixabay images)

If one gets diabetes, not only does their blood sugar level get affected, but the insulin production level also gets compromised. People with high or unmanaged blood sugar levels tend to have less than normal blood flow, because of which the body finds it difficult to harness nutrients and heal. Thus, due to the weakened immune system, people suffering from diabetes are prone to infections, and may take a longer time to get back on track. The condition, however, is manageable, even in the wake of coronavirus.

It is the need of the hour to keep the sugar levels in check for the ones with diabetes as the cases of Covid-19 increase stupendously.

* Stay hydrated, and eat fresh fruits and vegetables to enhance your immunity.

* Exercise on a daily basis. Try to increase activities at home. Do exercises that will not stress you out. Opt for yoga, pranayama, and deep breathing exercises. This will improve your pulmonary function and will not cause any disturbance in breathing. Even light stretches can be done to keep your body supple and fit. You can also do simple household chores such as sweeping, mopping, and cleaning, suggests Dr Anil Boraskar, Diabetologist, ACI Cumballa Hill Hospital, Mumbai.

* Check blood sugar level at home with the help of home glucose monitoring that is reliable machines. You can check your blood sugar levels and keep a target of less than 140 and 180 mg/dl. If your sugar is in this range then monitor the levels, every alternate day. If your sugar levels are not in this range then monitor it thrice a day, and you will have to take insulin instead of medications. Consult your diabetologist over the phone, who will set your insulin doses according to your blood sugar levels.

* If you are diabetic and hypertensive, then monitor your blood pressure levels from time to time and take medications.

* Washing hands is important, and so is washing feet. Clean them regularly. You can take the help of your family members and look for any cuts, ulcers, or wounds on the feet. Get immediate attention if required.

* Maintain good personal hygiene. Upgrade your skin, oral, and intimate hygiene. Practice social distancing.

* The spread of COVID-19 is via asymptomatic patients in whom symptoms are not seen. But if you are a diabetic and have a seasonal cough or cold then pay attention to it. Other symptoms that people with diabetes may have is hypoglycemia (can be described as a condition in which your blood sugar (glucose) level is lower than normal). This can be dangerous so help yourself with sugar if your sugar is less than 70 mg/dL. Make a note of what has caused a drop in your sugar level, says Dr Boraskar, Diabetologist.

The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Lifestyle News, download Indian Express App.

IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

The rest is here:
Tips for diabetes patients to manage their blood sugar - The Indian Express

Two thirds (67 per cent) of people with diabetes attending work do not feel safe, according to a new survey carried out among those with the condition.

More than half of respondents (54 per cent) to the Diabetes UK poll also say their employer is not enabling them to socially distance at work.

Since the lockdown started, the charity has seen unprecedented demand from people with diabetes seeking support on issues relating to employment and coronavirus through its helpline and support services.

The survey of almost 3,000 people with diabetes, revealed that almost half (45 per cent) of the people who are either currently at work, or are soon due to be returning to work outside of the home, reported not feeling confident in raising concerns about social distancing or safety at work with their employer.

The 3.9 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK are identified in the Governments list of clinically vulnerable groups, and the current advice is that people with diabetes should follow social distancing measures stringently, stay at home as much as possible, and minimise contact with those they do not live with.

A return to business as usual is not possible for people with diabetes, because of the lack of adequate safeguards from Government to ensure their safety Chris Askew

The new research also revealed that more than half of those working outside of home (57 per cent) do not know where they can get support from to resolve workplace safety issues.

A key element of the Governments recent employment guidance to protect workers, was the need for employers to carry out risk assessments for their employees, and make provisions to mitigate risk where it existed.

However Diabetes UKs survey found that this does not seem to be working in practice, as of those due to return to work, 60 per cent have not been consulted about a risk assessment that had been, or was in the process of being carried out, despite being in a clinically vulnerable group.

Diabetes UK does not believe the Governments employment guidance goes far enough to ensure safety at work for people with diabetes and those in other clinically vulnerable groups who are at increased risk of serious illness or death if they catch Coronavirus.

The charity is urgently calling for additional measures to ensure the safety of clinically vulnerable people at work.

Diabetes UKs Chief Executive Chris Askew said: A return to business as usual is not possible for people with diabetes, because of the lack of adequate safeguards from Government to ensure their safety.

With the new evidence on the increased risk for people with diabetes regarding COVID-19 Government must act now and review all the current guidelines and measures to keep people with diabetes and other clinically vulnerable groups safe. If lockdown continues to ease without specific and enforceable safeguards for people in clinically vulnerable groups in place, this pressure will only intensify further.

People with diabetes deserve to have their individual needs fully considered, with action taken to reduce any risk of coming into contact with the virus. A generic and catch-all assessment of workplace risks by employers does not go far enough and this evidence shows is not working in practice for people with diabetes.

The Government must ensure that employers take all the necessary measures to keep all employees safe, now and going forward if they are expected to attend work outside the home this includes clinically vulnerable people having a right to stay working from home if they do not feel safe.

Diabetes UK has written an open letter to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, urgently calling for more robust protections for clinically vulnerable workers and greater clarity for both employees and employers. The organisation is specifically calling for:

Photo by Ketut SubiyantofromPexels

Continue reading here:
Two thirds of those with diabetes do not feel safe at work - The Diabetes Times