In the News

Oral glucose tolerance test appears better than HbA1c for finding diabetes, prediabetes

The oral glucose tolerance test may outperform hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level in identifying patients with diabetes and prediabetes, a study reported this month.

Systolic BP <130 mm Hg and proteinuria confer higher death risk on diabetics

Patients with type 2 diabetes who had proteinuria and systolic blood pressure less than 130 mm Hg had a higher risk of cardiovascular and total mortality than those with higher blood pressure and no proteinuria, a study found.

Drug-eluting stents better, safer than bare metal in diabetics

Any drug-eluting stent was safer and more efficacious than bare metal stents in diabetics, with the everolimus-eluting stent appearing to have the best results, a meta-analysis found.

MKSAP Quiz: Treatment plan for prediabetes

This month's quiz asks readers to evaluate a 68-year-old woman with a fasting plasma glucose level of 113 mg/dL.

Intensive blood pressure targets didn't reduce mortality in type 2 diabetes

Intensive hypertension treatment slightly reduced the risk of stroke in type 2 diabetics, but had no effect on mortality or myocardial infarction, a new review found.

Screening detected unknown diabetes or prediabetes in one-fourth of elective surgery patients

Among elective surgery patients, nearly one-fourth (24%) were diagnosed with previously unknown diabetes or prediabetes based on blood tests conducted while they were fasting preoperatively, researchers found.

Clopidogrel associated with decreased benefit in diabetics post-MI

Diabetics benefit less from receiving clopidogrel after myocardial infarction than non-diabetics, a study found.

Teaching diabetes self-management ‘basic survival skills'

Diabetes self-management education is a cost-efficient, effective treatment that is underused in the United States, according to speakers at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association.

Advice on reimbursement for group visits

If physicians, midlevel providers, or nurses participate in the group visits, they can be reimbursed in exactly the same way as they would be for individual appointments.

New weight loss drug approved

Lorcaserin hydrochloride (Belviq) was recently approved by the FDA for chronic weight management in adults.

Spotlight on viruses and diabetes

The possible role of viruses in the development of diabetes was analyzed by two recent studies.