Blood Glucose

Two paradigm shifts have established SGLT2 inhibitors as an important drug class to treat cardiac dysfunction and HF with reduced ejection fraction in patients with and without diabetes, according to a presentation.

A recent article published in the European Journal of Endocrinology reviewed opportunities for innovations in diabetes management amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the top story in endocrinology last week.

A fasting plasma blood glucose measurement at hospital admission was an independent predictor of 28-day mortality and in-hospital complications among people with COVID-19 but without diabetes, study data from Wuhan show.

A small study of young children with type 1 diabetes and their parents suggests that continuous glucose monitoring technology may improve a child’s sleep by minimizing wake periods during the night for blood glucose monitoring, whereas a parent’s sleep may be more disrupted by frequent nighttime blood glucose checks when using CGM, according to findings published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics.

The risk for coronary artery disease may be lower among those with diabetes who have elevated vs. lower immature platelet fraction, although glucose management is unaffected by this biomarker, according to findings published in Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews.

The FDA on Monday approved the first oral therapy to combine three type 2 diabetes medications into one pill: the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin, the DPP-IV inhibitor linagliptin and metformin hydrochloride extended release, according to a press release from Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Co.

One of the week’s top stories in endocrinology was about a study that found adults with type 1 diabetes who used a higher glucose threshold for hypoglycemia alarms during continuous glucose monitor therapy spent approximately 50% less time in hypoglycemia.

Patients with minimal or no retinopathy are unlikely to require retinal treatment for diabetic retinopathy within 2 years of screening, according to a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Surgical care often is based on learned protocols that are not necessarily based on science.

Adults with type 2 diabetes may derive superior glycemic benefits from breads made with less-processed vs. more-processed whole grains, according to findings published in Diabetes Care.