diabetestalk.net

'It Puts Holes In The Retina': Thousands At Risk Of Blindness Due To Diabetes-linked Eye Disease

'It puts holes in the retina': Thousands at risk of blindness due to diabetes-linked eye disease

'It puts holes in the retina': Thousands at risk of blindness due to diabetes-linked eye disease

STEPHEN DUFFY WAS out shopping with his mother one Friday in May 2010 when the vision in his left eye became blurry.
“I said to her, ‘Where are you?’ That’s when I noticed it first.”
He went to the doctor, who said that he probably had an eye infection, and gave him antibiotics. But the problem was still there by Monday, so he went back to the doctor.
“He shone a torch in my eye and said that there was blood on the back of my eye and sent me to the Eye and Ear Hospital on Adelaide Road,” he told TheJournal.ie.
He was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that can be caused from diabetes type 1 or 2. The blood vessels behind his eye had burst, and the eye surgeon would have to weld them back together.
By Friday, a week after he first noticed a problem, he was going under laser eye surgery to try and save his sight at the age of 30. He was petrified.
“People absolutely take their eyesight for granted until there’s a problem. It gave me a new appreciation for people who have to deal with it.”
After months of monitoring his condition, Stephen then had to go under surgery again in December as his sight was still deteriorating and he wanted to save what was left of it.
Now he can see at four feet what someone with perfect eyesight can see at 24 feet.
“That’s something that needs to be put more out into the public domain – there are so many problems caused by diabetes – kidneys, heart, and lungs. Sight problems were something that I didn’t know a lot about – but it actually puts holes in the retina.”
According to Fighting Blindness, Continue reading

Rate this article
Total 1 ratings
Drug that lowers blood sugar to combat type 2 diabetes ‘also helps fight obesity and heart disease’

Drug that lowers blood sugar to combat type 2 diabetes ‘also helps fight obesity and heart disease’

A DRUG used to treat diabetes has been hailed a game changer after experts found it not only slashes blood sugar levels but can also protect against heart and kidney disease.
The drug, taken once a day, lowers blood pressure and combats obesity, one of the main causes of type 2 diabetes, a new study shows.
Canagliflozin, sold under trade name Invokana, reduces the overall risk of heart disease by 14 per cent and slashed the risk of hospitalisation for heart failure by 33 per cent.
And researchers from The George Institute for Global Health, found it also had a "significant impact" on the progression of kidney disease.
Professor Bruce Neal described the findings as "exciting", adding they offer real hope to people with type 2 diabetes.
He said: "Coronary heart disease is the biggest killer by far for people with type 2 diabetes.
"Our findings suggest that not only does canagliflozin significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, it also has many other benefits too.
"We found it also reduced blood pressure and led to weight loss.
"Type 2 diabetes is growing rapidly all over the world and we need drugs that not only deal with glucose levels, but that also protect the many millions of people from the very real risks of stroke and heart attack."
Getty Images
Invokana is known as a SGLT2 inhibitor and is a relatively new drug, that works to block the body's reabsorption of sugar or glucose.
It is already available to patients in the UK, prescribed by doctors to help manage type 2 diabetes.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) stated in 2014 canagliflozin Continue reading

Poor Diet Linked to Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mortality Rates

Poor Diet Linked to Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mortality Rates

"You are what you eat" is a phrase that we have heard for years and years. Although this message may be stale at this point, it does make sense logically. Without nourishment, we could not survive. The types of food we eat and don't eat can play a role in our energy, mood, sleep, and overall well-being. Food is such an essential part of living that, over time, our daily choices can influence health.
In fact, poor diet has already been linked to obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, to name a few. But, could how you eat be more directly linked to your mortality? A recent study suggests that there may be a connection.
The study, titled "Association Between Dietary Factors and Mortality From Heart Disease, Stroke, and Type 2 Diabetes in the United States" and published in the American Journal of Medicine, concluded that in 2012, there were 702,308 cardiometabolic deaths in the United States, including those from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Of those people, almost half of them (45.4 percent) had a suboptimal intake of certain nutrients. Diet seemed to be linked most strongly to mortality in men (48.6 percent), people between the ages of 25-34 (64.2 percent), African Americans (53.1 percent), and Hispanic people (50.0 percent).
Each of the dietary factors were assessed based on two 24-hour food recalls, and all dietary intake was adjusted for total calorie consumption to reduce measurement error.
Self-reported demographics including, age, gender, race, ethnicity, and education were taken into consideration.
What the Study Tells Us
The Continue reading

More Evidence of Link Between Statins and Diabetes

More Evidence of Link Between Statins and Diabetes

The use of statin drugs has already been associated with over 300 adverse health effects, and now, a new study has found that long-term statin use may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by 30 percent in high-risk individuals. The discovery is the latest in the body of research that raises doubt about the safety of the popular cholesterol drugs.
In the new study, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, NY, examined data on more than 3,200 participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program. The individuals had a weight problem and were at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Blood fats and blood pressure were measured yearly, and blood glucose was tested every six months. Statin use was monitored.
Sponsored Link
Introducing: The Antioxidant That’s 6,000x More Powerful Than Vitamin C
Incredibly convincing evidence indicates that one super-nutrient can help you become an age-defying wonder with strong joints, clear vision, youthful skin, a sharp memory and boundless energy.
This super-nutrient is the most powerful antioxidant ever discovered, and I’m absolutely convinced this may be the single most essential anti-aging nutrient of all.
At the onset, 4 percent of the participants took statins, but the percentage rose to 33 percent after 10 years. Most of the individuals were on a regimen of atorvastatin or simvastatin.
Statins Increased Diabetes Risk 30 Percent in High Risk People
Statin use was linked to a 36-percent higher risk of receiving a type-2 diabetes diagnosis. The percentage dropped to 30 percent after adjustments were ma Continue reading

7 Silent Symptoms of Diabetes That You Need to Know

7 Silent Symptoms of Diabetes That You Need to Know

Diabetes a metabolic disease that inhibits the body to produce or respond to insulin the way it is meant to. This results in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and raised blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels stay high because the body does not release the much-needed hormone, insulin. Depending on what factors are causing the raised blood sugar level, diabetes can be diagnosed as either type 1 or type 2.
American Diabetes Association statistics show that a stunning 25% of people with type 2 diabetes don’t even know they have it.
Normally during digestion, the body is able to turn foods into glucose. The blood then distributes the glucose to the body’s cells. This is when insulin typically steps in to convert glucose into energy for the cells to either use or store. The process of converting food into energy is vital, as the body depends on proper fuel for every process and action it goes through each day. When insulin is ineffective, the bloodstream’s glucose cannot be converted into energy in the cells. As a result, glucose builds up in the blood, which leads to the high glucose levels that define diabetes.
Criteria for Diabetes
If the blood glucose level is over 200 mg/dl, diabetes is diagnosed.
If the blood glucose level is over 140 mg/dl two hours following a meal, pre-diabetes is concluded.
If the blood glucose level after sleeping or fasting for eight hours is over 126 mg/dl, diabetes is diagnosed.
If the blood glucose level after sleeping or fasting for eight hours is over 108 mg/dl, pre-diabetes is concluded.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is the less com Continue reading

No more pages to load

Popular Articles

  • 7 Facts About Vision Loss Due to Diabetes
    7 Facts About Vision Loss Due to Diabetes

    Diabetes is a common cause of vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts. In fact, diabetics are 40% more likely to have glaucoma, and 60% more likely to have cataracts, per the American Diabetes Association. If left unchecked, vision loss due to diabetes is irreversible. The National Eye Institute (NEI), however, states that early detection and treatment can reduce one’s r ...

  • Treating gum disease may lessen the burden of heart disease, diabetes, other conditions
    Treating gum disease may lessen the burden of heart disease, diabetes, other conditions

    In the folk song “Dem Bones,” every bone is connected to the next one in line. Here’s an interesting wrinkle on that idea: The gum bone, or at least problems with it, are connected to all sorts of health problems. Gum disease—which begins when the sticky, bacteria-laden film known as plaque builds up around your teeth—is closely linked to premature birth, heart disease, diabetes, and oth ...

  • How statins can cause diabetes: Pills raise the risk of getting disease by 46 per cent
    How statins can cause diabetes: Pills raise the risk of getting disease by 46 per cent

    And the cholesterol-busting drugs do nothing to prolong the lives of those at low-risk of a heart attack, experts found. The conclusions, published today, will put rival British doctors at loggerheads over the safety of the cheap, widely prescribed drugs. One leading cardiologist last night said the benefits of statins, taken by eight million Britons, had been “grossly exaggerated”. But anothe ...

  • Diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis - conditions put YOU at greater risk of THIS disease
    Diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis - conditions put YOU at greater risk of THIS disease

    Cardiovascular disease describes a set of conditions which affect the heart or blood vessels - which includes life-threatening problems such as heart attacks and stroke. Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints and mainly affects the hands feet and wrists. The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) - has set out to help people with ...

  • Lowering Cardiovascular Disease Risk for Patients With Diabetes
    Lowering Cardiovascular Disease Risk for Patients With Diabetes

    BACKGROUND Pharmacists are in the unique position to not only educate patients about diabetes but also discuss the preventable complications that can stem from diabetes. Specifically, pharmacists can help to address risk factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, lipid levels, and antiplatelet agents and offer lifestyle modifications when reviewing medications and cou ...

  • Dietary magnesium tied to lower risk of heart disease and diabetes
    Dietary magnesium tied to lower risk of heart disease and diabetes

    A diet rich in magnesium - found in foods like leafy greens, fish, nuts and whole grains - may help lower the risk of chronic health problems like heart disease and diabetes, a research review suggests. Some previous studies linked insufficient magnesium levels to a greater risk of developing a wide range of health problems including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, Alzheime ...

  • Gestational Diabetes May Increase Risk Of Heart Disease
    Gestational Diabetes May Increase Risk Of Heart Disease

    I was at the end of my second trimester, and the nurse filled a disposable cup with 50 grams of glucose powder – a tad less than the amount of sugar in a 16-ounce bottle of Coke – and sent me to the water fountain to dilute it. I dutifully drank the sugary concoction that constituted the first part of the glucose screening test, a routine procedure used to help determine whether pregnant women ...

  • Type 2 diabetes shares risk genes with heart disease
    Type 2 diabetes shares risk genes with heart disease

    Using genome data from more than 250,000 people, scientists have identified gene variants that appear to alter the risk of both type 2 diabetes and heart disease - two leading causes of death and disease. They also suggest that the discovery could lead to treatments that use one drug to protect against both illnesses. The international team, which was led by researchers from the Perelman School of ...

  • Type 2 Diabetes Increases Risk for Heart Disease
    Type 2 Diabetes Increases Risk for Heart Disease

    If you have type 2 diabetes, you probably know about potential complications such as blindness, kidney disease, and amputations.1 But there’s another important, life- threatening complication that you may not know about: Type 2 diabetes puts you at a higher risk for heart disease.2 And with Valentine’s Day on the way, it’s extra important to pay special attention to your heart—not just for ...

Related Articles