Don’t worry, I’ll still be providing diabetes news and updates here. And the “Putting a Face on Diabetes” interview series remains alive and well! (A little “health” humor there! Tee hee).

This is an exciting time for diabetics everywhere, as each day we know more about the disease and get closer to a cure.

Remember if you’re a Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic who is interested in being interviewed, please send me an email at: cherieburbach@yahoo.com. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you as we learn about and tackle this disease.

Post from: Blisstree

Diabetes Notes Has a New Home

Here’s an interesting bit of research from BD Diabetes:

“People with diabetes given intensive drug treatment soon after diagnosis are healthier when they grow older, even if they become less rigorous about controlling their blood sugar later on.”

That means if you get diabetes (even Type 2) you should go on meds first rather than trying to control the disease with diet and exercise first. (Although you should still eat right and work out – there’s no avoiding that people!) The thing that I found very odd was that even if the patients were less rigorous with control when they were older, they still benefited from intensive treatment early on.

Post from: Blisstree

Newly Diagnosed with Diabetes?

The actual number of pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes… In 1999, there were 245 such women; by 2005, there were 537. That translates to a rate that rose from 8 per 1,000 pregnancies to 18 per 1,000. The rate increased the greatest among 13- to 19-year-olds giving birth. It ballooned from about 1 per 1,000 pregnancies to 5.5 per 1,000 during the seven-year period.

It is so important for us to control our sugars during pregnancy and to take care of ourselves and unborn children. It is also a good idea to start prenatal care and checkups at least 3 months prior to attempting to conceive.  Thanks Alicia!

via Yahoo news 

Post from: Blisstree

Percentage of pregnant women with diabetes has doubled

This study evaluated 307 patients with diabetes — 258 with end-stage kidney disease on hemodialysis and 49 who did not have kidney failure. The researchers compared the standard HbA1c test with a newer test (glycated albumin, or GA) that measures the amount of blood sugar that has reacted with albumin, a protein in the plasma. The GA test reflects blood sugar control over the previous three to four weeks. Blood samples were also analyzed to determine recent blood sugar levels.

Among the 307 patients with diabetes, 258 in end-staged kidney disease on dialysis and 49 who did not have kidney failure, the researchers found that the HbA1c values were considerably lower in comparison to the GA test results. Scary indeed.

The thought process on the marginal difference is that the red blod cells do not live as long in hemodialysis patients than the normal population. Most dialysis patients have anemia requiring treatment with medications that stimulate red blood cell production (erythropoietin).

The GA test is not currently available in the United States. Freedman said that until it is available, doctors and patients should be aware that the HbA1c underestimates glucose control and is affected by both erythropoietin administration and the hemoglobin concentration.

via Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center

Post from: Blisstree

A1c does not prove to be tell-tale of sugar control for dialysis patients