Diabetes has swept the nation: As of 2018, there were 4.9 million people ages 18-44, 14.8 million ages 45-65, and 14.3 million who were 65 and older who had diabetes. But as Mia Isabella Aguilar’s children’s book says, “We Are Not All the Same, But We Are All Equal.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes is highest among American Indians/Alaska Natives (14.7%), people of Hispanic origin (12.5%), non-Hispanic Blacks (11.7%), and non-Hispanic Asians (9.2%), compared to non-Hispanic whites (7.5%). That means in order to provide across-the-board care, it is important to recognize differences and find ways to provide equal protection.
Here’s one smart way to do that. New findings published in the Annals of Internal Medicine have lead researchers to suggest that the BMI thresholds for diabetes screening should be specific to individual groups.
The researchers initially found that the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in Black, Hispanic and Asian 35-year-olds with a BMI of at least 25 (indicating overweight) was much higher than for white adults with the same BMI -- 3.5%, 3.05% and 3.8%, respectively, compared to 1.4%. They suggest that to protect each group from the ravages of undiagnosed diabetes, it would be smart to start screening Asian adults with a BMI of 20, Black adults with a BMI of above 18.5, and Hispanics at 18.5.
So check out your BMI -- visit CDC.gov; search for “BMI.” If you’re at risk for diabetes, get a blood test. Early diagnosis can let you take lifestyle steps (and medication) to reverse the disease!
New treatments bring relief to people with asthma, diabetes
When Khalil Gibran said “progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be,” he wasn’t talking about improvements in treatment of asthma and diabetes, but he could have been. Three new treatments are likely to change what will be for folks contending with those conditions.
1. For people dealing with uncontrolled moderate to severe asthma, a phase-3, double-blind, randomized study found that a combo of 180 micrograms of albuterol (a bronchodilator) and 160 micrograms of budesonide (a corticosteroid) used as rescue medication helps stop an asthma attack better than albuterol alone. Plus, it cut the risk of a severe asthma attack by 26%.
2. The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved a new Type 2 diabetes medication, tirzepatide. In five clinical studies, it’s been shown to lower A1c levels better than long-acting insulin degludec or insulin glargine, the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide (Ozempic), or a placebo. A 15 mg dose of the once-weekly injection caused a 1.6% decrease in A1c vs. placebo -- enough to put some folks’ A1C below 5.7%, the normal level.
3. Pain from diabetic neuropathy can be crippling. The SENZA-PDN trial shows patients receiving high-frequency (10-k-Hz) spinal cord stimulation using the FDA-approved implantable Senza System see meaningful relief. According to Cleveland Clinic researcher Dr. Christian Nasr, in the first six-month trial, which compared the device to conventional medical management, participants using Senza saw a 76.3% reduction in pain; 93% of participants then asked to have the device implanted permanently. Sweet relief may be in your future, too.
