Author: Staff Writers

Research Opportunity for Individuals with Diabetes: Interface Analysis Associates (a leading consumer research firm) is currently looking for individuals with diabetes who are in the northwest Illinois area to participate in a paid consumer research study.

The following are the particulars of this study:

To initially qualify for the study, one must:

1) Have Type I or Type II diabetes
2a) Manage their diabetes by taking insulin via pump (Paradigm REAL-Time, OneTouch Ping , OmniPod, Animas 2020, Medtronic paradigm 522 or 722)
2b) OR take at least 4 injections of insulin daily and have seriously considered using a pump.

The study will be conducted at a market research facility in Skokie, IL (near Old Orchard w/convenient access to Edens Expressway), will take no more than 1 hour and 45 minutes, and pays $150 CASH.

Participants will be exposed to a new diabetes product, will be asked to interact with it and provide their feedback about it. It is a very easy way to make some money and have a positive impact on a product that may influence the lives of millions who suffer from diabetes.

If interested, please contact us at iaa_research@yahoo.com or call us at 408-834-8443. At that time we can answer any additional questions you may have.

An Alternative to Medic Alert Bracelets: Jillian Rokowski was tired of feeling she as if she didn’t fit in. As a Type 1 diabetic she lived for several years having to explain her medical ID bracelet. Some may argue the explanations are at worst an inconvenience and at best the opportunity to share information about your diabetic condition – for many teens it can simply be a source of consistent embarrassment and hassle.

Jillian understood the need for the bracelet in alerting medical technicians about her diabetes, but it seemed to call attention to something that made her feel as if she wasn’t normal. Jillian told the St. Petersburg Times, “Everybody was always weirded out by it, and the teachers didn’t help. I remember in fourth and fifth grade, I didn’t go on any field trips because the teachers were like, ‘Well, we don’t really feel comfortable at this point.’”

Her experience caused Jillian and her mother to create the company Watch and Alert. This company provides a variety of stylish watches that allow the wearer to blend in with their peers while still having identification needed to ensure safe care from health practitioners. The face of each watch bears variations of the traditional medic alert bracelet. It also includes the individual’s primary health issue on the face of the watch. Additional information can be engraved on the back. There are nearly 40 conditions for which doctors will recommend patients consider wearing a medical alert bracelet or necklace.

On her website [WatchAndAlert.com] Jillian says, “When I was seventeen I found a watch at a specialty store that had a medical symbol on the face and an engraveable plate on the back for information about my condition. For the first time since my diagnosis I was able to wear a stylish watch instead of my old bracelet. The last thing teenagers want to do is look or feel different from their peers. I honestly felt relieved and more comfortable in my own skin. When that watch broke I was devastated. I tried to find another watch but it turned out to be an impossible task to find a trendy watch with the medical alert symbol in the face. I decided I would have to create one for myself. I created a stylish watch and I got many compliments. People would ask me where I got it so they could get one for themselves or someone they knew who had a medical condition. We kept hearing over and over that people would not wear a bracelet. Unfortunately there are too many people who would rather risk their health and safety in an emergency situation then to be uncomfortable wearing a piece of jewelry they don’t like.”

Jillian told the Tampa Bay Times that she would like to get one of her watches to Nick Jonas who also suffers from Type 1 diabetes saying, “If I got it in the hands of a JoBro then every preteen in the world would want to wear it whether they had a condition or not.” Seven different watches are currently available with prices less than $45.

Many individuals who have a medical condition like diabetes refuse to wear the bracelet or necklace. Some have resorted to tattoos although health professionals caution diabetics about some of the medical issues related to getting a tattoo. Jillian is hoping that these timepieces will provide the style many are looking for with health benefits diabetics need when a crisis hits.

What Iditarod May Teach Us About Energy in Diabetics: There are so many answers to complicated questions locked up in our own bodies and in things that occur naturally in the world around us. This is true with plants and it’s true with animals. Herbs, vegetables and fruit are all used to provide food along with offering a variety of vitamins, minerals and an enormous amount of potential healing properties.

Sometimes learning more about diabetes may be as simple as watching the Iditarod sled races held each year in Alaska. This race covers over 1,100 miles and many of the participants can finish the race in as few as nine days. That means the dogs used in the race must pull a sled more than 100 miles each day in very difficult circumstances (wind chill readings can be as low as –100 degrees F), yet these animals seem eager to perform the task in the harshest of weather.

Aside from any objections you might have as to the treatment of these dogs there is intriguing thought behind their willingness to ‘mush’ in the frozen tundra of Alaska.  USAToday.com recently posed a question that is on the minds of diabetes researchers, “Could their fat-burning prowess help uncover ways to prevent and treat obesity in type 2 diabetes?”

It has become apparent that these sled dogs are very efficient at converting fat to energy and resisting any hint of diabetes. Researcher Michael Davis from Oklahoma State University rode along in the 2009 Iditarod to continue his personal research in physiology of sled dogs.

USAToday.com reported, “In January, Davis and collaborators Ray Geor of Michigan State University and Shannon Pratt of North Carolina State University chose 16 dogs in Iditarod-worthy shape from the kennel of one of this year’s competitors and had them run 22 miles at a healthy clip of 8 mph.”

Their research calculated metabolic stress by examining muscle tissue samples of those animals. This was done during times when the animals were worthy of running in the race and during summer months when they were not engaged in strenuous activity. The USAToday report indicated, “Davis hopes to understand how the cells are reacting under different physical conditions.”

Oklahoma State University provides the following background information on Davis. It helps explain his interest in this subject, “Dr. Davis has been a licensed veterinarian for over 20 years, and a board certified specialist in veterinary internal medicine since 1999. Dr. Davis has received over $4 million in research funding to study the effects of exercise stress in animal models, particularly racing sled dogs. This work has resulted in detailed metabolic studies of the occult effects of stress, including mechanistic descriptions of the effects of occult stress on various organ systems.” It then appears his research has naturally progressed to diabetes, a causal agent in the deterioration of multiple organs.

While animal rights activists have been opposed to the research Davis is doing he indicates the DNA between dogs and humans are a close match. There may be more to learn from these dogs than critics might expect. For instance these animals have proven to be insulin sensitive, which allows their bodies to be extremely adept at energy creation.

No one would argue that intense exercise has been very instrumental in the prevention and management of diabetes, however the research Davis is looking at may provide additional answers as to how the transformation of fat to energy can be accelerated in diabetic patients.

New Information for Diabetics in Critical Care: Diabetics anticipate hearing physicians call for tight control over their blood glucose levels. That’s what makes a March 24th, 2009 article by the New England Journal of Medicine interesting with respect to their conclusion. This report suggests that in critically ill patients it may actually be counterproductive to effective recovery to insist on blood glucose control. The medical journal indicates mortality rates are higher among critically ill diabetics when hyperglycemia is treated using strict blood glucose oversight.

On the same day the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) issued a press release indicating, “Findings of the Normoglycemia in Intensive Care Evaluation-Survival Using Glucose Algorithm Regulation (NICE-SUGAR) study should NOT lead to an abandonment of the concept of good glucose management in the hospital setting. Uncontrolled high blood glucose can lead to serious problems for hospitalized patients, such as dehydration and increased propensity to infection.”

Dr. Etie S. Moghissi, AACE Chair of Inpatient Glycemic Control Task Force said, “Since 2003, AACE and the ADA have worked together to provide recommendations for treatment of inpatient hyperglycemia, and these efforts have contributed to a growing national movement viewing the management of hyperglycemia in hospitals as a quality care measure.”

Further recommendations from the ADA and AACE in regards to this issue will be made available later in the spring. Dr. Mary Korytkowski, ADA Chair of Inpatient Glycemic Control Task Force indicated, “The central goal of the ADA/AACE inpatient task force is to identify reasonable, achievable, and safe glucose targets, and to describe the protocols, procedures, and system improvements needed to achieve inpatient optimal glucose control efficiently and safely.”

The NICE-SUGAR study suggests that mortality rates in patients with intense glucose control while also in critical condition was 14% higher than those receiving standard or conventional glucose care.

The ADA or AACE press release stated, “More than 6,100 patients with hyperglycemia in critical care units were randomized to either intensive glucose control (insulin infusion with target blood glucose between 80-108 mg/dl) or to conventional glucose control (insulin infusion begun if blood glucose was over 180 mg/dl, and discontinued if blood glucose dropped below 144 mg/dl). Severe hypoglycemia (blood glucose below 40 mg/dl) occurred in approximately 6.8 percent of intensively treated patients compared to 0.5 percent of conventionally treated patients. The study showed no difference in length of time in the intensive care unit or in the hospital, or in other major outcomes such as time on ventilators or need for dialysis.”

It seems clear from the information provided by these two health organizations that they are asking for caution in the wake of these new findings.

For those unfamiliar with the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) it is a, “Professional medical organization with more than 6,200 members in the United States and 92 other countries.

Mary Tyler Moore Speaks Out on Diabetes: “Chronic disease, like a troublesome relative, is something you can learn to manage but never quite escape. And while each and every person who has type 1 prays for a cure, and would give anything to stop thinking about it for just a year, a month, a week, a day even, the ironic truth is that only when you own it–accept it, embrace it, make it your own–do you start to be free of many of its emotional and physical burdens.” That’s how Mary Tyler Moore started her new book, Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes.

For the last four decades this well loved actress has been living with Type 1 diabetes. This new book was not an idea she pitched to a publisher, but rather the other way around. BuffaloNews.com reports that Philip Revzin, senior editor at St. Martin’s Press was the one who convinced Mary to write the book.

The idea for the book was apparently hatched during a conversation Revzin had with his daughter who just so happens to have Type 1 diabetes. The preface to Mary’s book relates the young lady’s words, “I wish I had a diabetic best friend, someone to talk to about what it’s like to have diabetes, Sometimes I feel, I don’t know, alone. Ya know?”

So Mary Tyler Moore wrote a book about life with diabetes and added memorable moments from her life along the way. The book seemed a better response to Revzin’s daughter than a simple phone call or conversation over tea. It’s also something that can be shared with thousands of others who also suffer from Type 1 diabetes.

The 72 year-old Moore continues to act, but what most television viewers may not know is that her diabetes has given her what she describes as “Tunnel Vision”. The BuffaloNews.com report related an event Mary attended and the difficulties she faced due to her vision problems caused by diabates. “The chic Manhattan restaurant where the soiree is held is dimly lighted, and the partygoers are almost all dressed in black. After climbing a set of stairs in the dark and bumping into people she can’t see, Moore turns to talk to someone, only finding out later that “I was facing away from her, the side of my head being all she could see, as I chatted easily with the darkness. Heaven knows what she thought of the encounter!”

The Internet Movie Database reports that Moore, “Recently testified before Congress calling for an increase in funding for diabetes research and support embryonic stem cell research, which she called ‘truly life affirming.’”

Moore’s new book is not a straight shot at Type 1 diabetes, but how diabetes fit into the life she has lived. In times past Moore was quoted as saying, “Diabetes is an all-too-personal time bomb which can go off today, tomorrow, next year, or 10 years from now – a time bomb affecting millions like me and the children here today.”

Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes is part memoir and part cautionary tale. More has endured more than her fair share of pain losing both siblings and her only son to a variety of incidents. The common thread of forty years has been her diabetes. It appears this has simply been a very heavy thread weaved in her personal tapestry that has created a fond brilliance we always see when Mary takes the stage – or writes a book.

Schizophrenia and Diabetes: A Bigger Picture: We recently reported that the schizophrenia drug Seroquel might be linked to cases of diabetes due to what appears to be noticeable weight gain in patients that use the AstraZeneca drug. Since obesity is often linked to diabetes the research indicated the weight gain might be the causal link to diabetes.

While many have considered hidden research on the subject to cast a very negative light on the drugs effectiveness there is new research that may point to a bigger picture. ScienceDaily.net reported that, “People with schizophrenia are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes.” This was the finding of researchers at Medical College of Georgia along with scientists at the University of Barcelona in Spain and the University of Maryland.

This research was conducted on 50 patients newly diagnosed with schizophrenia prior to taking any medications used for the treatment of the condition. What researchers found was, when no other risk factors were present, “16 percent [of patients] had either diabetes or an abnormal rate of glucose metabolism.” This was the finding of Dr. Brian Kirkpatrick, vice chair of the MCG Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior.

This is significant because a separate control group of similar size, utilizing patients without schizophrenia, indicated no signs of diabetes.

Kirkpatrick told ScienceDaily.net, “These findings point toward there being some shared environmental factors or genetic factors between the development of schizophrenia and diabetes.” Those conditions had to be something other than a drug used to treat schizophrenia since none in the control group had ever used the drug.

The information concerning Seroquel and other drugs was important to researchers because they knew that the drug seemed to have a weight gain side effect. Catching patients before drug treatment for schizophrenia seemed to be the only logical way to determine what links might exist between schizophrenia and diabetes.

It has long been thought that depression and diabetes go hand in hand. It has also been long believed that schizophrenia and diabetes might be connected. This research sought to answer that question in some definitive way.

A second study indicates, “The prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that include abdominal obesity, high lipid and cholesterol blood levels and insulin resistance, is more than 50 percent in women and about 37 percent in men with schizophrenia.” These factors are significant in the development of diabetes.

There is a third facet to the potential development of schizophrenia. This dynamic happens before a child is born. Dr. Kilpatrick noted, “Many people focus on the brain function part of the disease, but patients also have other medical problems that can’t be attributed to other factors. Bad things that happen in utero and at birth, such as prenatal famine and low birth weight, have both been shown to increase the risk of diabetes and schizophrenia. Problems in early development can leave a lasting impact.”

Add to this the recent discovery that Alzheimer’s may be diabetes of the brain and you can begin to see the impact insulin has on every facet of the body.

It appears the care of the human body must begin in utero. Low birth weight babies and the care the mother takes with her own health appear to be common threads in the long-term health success of the child. In most cases this is simply common sense, but it’s interesting to see research that tends to support many of the ideals passed along by earlier generations. The advantage we have is the accumulated knowledge of why the care is important and how it may affect all individuals involved.

Mayo’s New Diabetes Reference Guide: The crew aboard the Apollo 13 discovered a “Main B bus undervolt.” I don’t have to know what that means to understand that when astronaut John Swigert, Jr. said, “Houston, we’ve had a problem,” he meant every word.

Today the phrase has been recast to “Houston we have a problem” and the line has become a bit cliché, but it remains a strong reminder that when the words are uttered there are difficulties being faced.

In their own way the Mayo Clinic has uttered those words – and they were directed toward all of us in response to the epidemic that is diabetes.

A Voice Of America report quotes Dr. Maria Collazo-Clavell of the Mayo Clinic as saying, “Probably the No. 1 cause of diabetes becoming so common, [as well as] pre-diabetes, is definitely our lifestyle. Most of us are heavier than we have been in the past and less active. So definitely being conscious about our eating habits, weight and activity become very important to preventing type 2 diabetes, particularly.”

Collazo-Clavell is the medical editor for a new manual called the Essential Diabetes Book. It has been described by VOA as a, “Comprehensive and up-to-date manual on diabetes, intended for the general public.”

The book asserts that there are twice as many pre-diabetics as there are those who have actually been diagnosed with the disease. Pre-diabetes has been described as a condition where, “Blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Pre-diabetes is also dangerous because long-term damage to the heart and circulatory system might already have begun to occur.”

The book touches on diabetes as it relates to various ethnicities. For example Type 1 diabetes is more common among Caucasian youth while Type 2 is more prevalent among African American and Hispanic adults. As we’ve reported here before another primary concern for diabetics is being able to access healthy meals and exercise is often difficult to manage due to the fact that diabetes can make an individual feel very tired.

However Collazo-Clavell suggests, “Whatever physical activity someone can do, it is worth doing. What often happen is that people have so many other limitations that keep them from adhering to this perfect, beautiful 30- to 45-minute program that they are supposed to do four to five times per week. But what we learned is that short bouts of activity are just as helpful as prolonged bouts of activity.”

You may remember a recent report here that indicates short bursts of intense physical exercise may do more to flood blood sugar from your body that longer, but less intense exercise.

Collazo-Clavell even commented on President Obama’s recent decision to allow embryonic stem cell research. “Once you accomplish, for example, stem cells that can produce insulin and that are viable, often the application to a diverse population of patients becomes quite challenging. So I still feel that we have to focus on helping our patients manage their diabetes day in and day out and not wait for that cure that we have been waiting for for a long time.” The VOA report indicates she does not expect any breakthroughs from embryonic stem cell research anytime soon.

The hard cover book, Essential Diabetes Book is available for around $25 or less and provides a comprehensive look at Diabetes and it’s long-term care.

Offering her own encouragement Collazo-Clavell adds, “”It is never too late to start caring for your health and protecting your health, but the sooner somebody does it, the better a life they will lead.”

Mariners Pitching Duo Deal With Type 1 Diabetes: Many diabetics find encouragement by participating in a support group. We all tend to find comfort in engaging others who experience the same things we do. It may seem strange, but it is a notion that has brought two Seattle Mariners pitchers together.

Brandon Marrow was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes while still in high school. While he had been a starting pitcher he recently made the decision to head to the bullpen as part of the relief squad. He told Sports Illustrated his diabetes was a factor in that decision. Morrow must test his blood glucose regularly to remain at the peak of his abilities.

Little did Marrow realize his difficulties would be useful in helping someone else. In this case, Mark Lowe, another pitcher for the Mariners found help in someone who had been there before. Lowe had poked good natured fun at Morrow for all the diabetic testing he had to do, but this duo are now finding a kinship neither expected.

According to a HeraldNet.com report Lowe began experiencing some difficulties with his health. There were times when he couldn’t seem to see straight, he lost a lot of weight and when he lost energy he lost it very quickly. The diagnosis? Type 1 diabetes.

Lowe was originally diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, but the correct diagnosis was eventually made.

Morrow recalls that the friendship between the two happened quickly, “He’d just gotten his glucometer, and we were messing around pricking ourselves and sharing numbers.” The HeraldNet.com report indicates the two would wager over who could come closest to guessing their own personal glucose readings.

Lowe manages his diabetes by injecting insulin as needed while Morrow relies on an insulin pump to regulate his blood glucose.

Team Physician Mark Storey indicates this is the first time the Mariners have had two players who were diabetic. “Mark is new at this and he’s not as comfortable as Brandon is. The diabetes is affected by their activity level, so they have to be a lot stricter on their blood sugar monitoring. If it drops, it can affect their performance.” This might be why both have taken on roles as relief pitchers instead of attempting to maintain starting status. Both pitchers will rely on multiple tests during games to ensure they are ready to play.

According to HeraldNet.com Lowe said, “It was not fun knowing it’s something you’ll have to do the rest of your life, poking yourself with a needle forever, but you get over it and know it could be way, way worse. In the longrun, it’s something that will help you — staying in shape, eating right. You have to look at it in the big picture, and I think it’s going to be a very positive thing.”

The report indicated that both Lowe and Morrow are serious about the care they receive in connection with their diabetes, but they are also serious about living life. Morrow offers this advice, “Don’ t let it [diabetes] hold you back. It’s a serious condition but if you take care of yourself and monitor it, you can be as healthy as anybody else.”

Where Morrow has been through the diabetes trenches Lowe still needs help coping from time to time. When he has questions he knows where to go. Lowe concluded, “Fortunately, when I was diagnosed I had somebody right next to me every day to ask questions to.”

That’s the value of connection when you have diabetes. A support group can be a big help when you’re struggling to make sense of diabetes.

Once Weekly Blood Glucose Control: Once a week glucose control shots are what some drug manufacturers are hoping for. In the most recent phase of testing the results seem to indicate it may be possible. These possibilities would have great meaning for Type 2 diabetics.

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company and Alkermes, Inc. have been working together to determine if the drug exenatide is superior to other diabetes drugs sitagliptin or pioglitazone, which are both oral medications.

According to a press release by the manufacturers of exenatide, “This 26-week clinical study compared exenatide once weekly to maximum doses of sitagliptin or pioglitazone in 491 patients with type 2 diabetes taking stable doses of metformin. After completing 26 weeks of treatment, evaluable patients randomized to exenatide once weekly experienced a statistically significant reduction in A1C, a measure of average blood sugar over three months, of 1.7 percentage points from baseline, compared to a reduction of 1.0 percentage point for sitagliptin and 1.4 percentage points for pioglitazone. Treatment with exenatide once weekly also produced statistically significant differences in weight, with weight loss of 6.2 pounds at 26 weeks, compared with a loss of 1.9 pounds for sitagliptin, and a weight gain of 7.4 pounds for pioglitazone.”

The combination of improved blood glucose control and a swing of over 13 pounds between patients who used exenatide verses pioglitazone caused Dr. Jim Malone, global medical director for exenatide to declare, “The results of this study provide us with more insight into the potential profile that may be achieved with exenatide once weekly. As we continue to progress through the series of DURATION studies, our goal is to clearly understand how exenatide once weekly compares to other diabetes therapies and be able to articulate, through the data, these differences to patients and their healthcare providers.”

Eighty percent of patients who started this study went on to complete the 26-week trial. The most common side effect among those who used the exenatide injections was nausea and diarrhea. These were the same side effects common among patients using sitagliptin. In pioglitazone the common side effects included fluid retention and accompanying swelling in the lower limbs along with upper respiratory tract infections.

Richard Bergenstal, M.D., executive director of the International Diabetes Center commented on the findings by saying, “Recognizing the importance of A1C control, it has become clear that health care providers need comparative data to better understand the relative value of therapeutic options. A once-weekly therapy that helps patients achieve A1C targets, with the added benefits of weight loss and no major hypoglycemia, could provide patients with an important option to improve their diabetes care.”

The manufacturers provide their own disclaimer on the findings of this DURATION-2 study. [These findings], “contain forward-looking statements about Amylin, Lilly and Alkermes and the investigational drug, exenatide once weekly. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed or implied due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the risk that exenatide once weekly may be affected by unexpected new data; safety and technical issues; and clinical trials, not being completed in a timely manner, not confirming previous results, or not achieving the intended clinical endpoints; the DURATION-2 superiority study results potentially not being predictive of real world use including results relative to other diabetes medications; pre-clinical trials not predicting future results; label expansion requests or New Drug Application (NDA) filings, including the NDA filing for exenatide once weekly, not being submitted in a timely manner; regulatory approval being delayed or not received; or manufacturing and supply issues. The potential for exenatide once weekly may also be affected by government and commercial reimbursement and pricing decisions, the pace of market acceptance, or scientific, regulatory and other issues and risks.”

Diabetic Eye Care: A Possible Prescription Link: Is it possible that the medicine you are currently taking for diabetes may have links to the development of eye disease? One new research report indicates it’s possible.

The American Journal of Ophthalmology suggests a class of diabetes drugs known as glitazones may increase the risk of vision complications in diabetics. The vision complication noted in the report is Diabetic Macular Edema (DME).

MedicineNet.com defines DME as the, “Swelling of the retina in diabetes mellitus due to leaking of fluid from blood vessels within the macula. The macula is the central portion of the retina, a small area rich in cones, the specialized nerve endings that detect color and upon which daytime vision depends.

“As macular edema develops, blurring occurs in the middle or just to the side of the central visual field. Visual loss from diabetic macular edema can progress over a period of months and make it impossible to focus clearly.

“Macular edema in common in diabetes. The lifetime risk for diabetics to develop macular edema is about 10%. The condition is closely associated with the degree of diabetic retinopathy (retinal disease). Hypertension (high blood pressure) and fluid retention also increase the hydrostatic pressure within capillaries which drives fluid from within the vessels into the retina.”

The research conducted relied on findings from nearly 1,000 patients who were diabetic, but also had DME. The findings showed that patients who relied on glitazones were, “2.6 times more likely to develop DME than those who didn’t take the drugs. Even after adjusting for other factors, the risk of DME remained 60 percent higher for patients who took glitazones”.

Dr. Thomas J. Liesegang, editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Ophthalmology was quoted as saying, “Ocular (eye) complications are an overlooked safety issue of systemic drugs. Long-term safety is not currently monitored, because the [FDA] approval process is based on smaller, shorter-term clinical trials. Safety necessarily requires monitoring of treatment in larger groups of people over longer periods of time. This monitoring is often neglected and should be required of all therapies.”

In January of this year German researchers expressed concern over the glitizones based drug, pioglitazone. The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, a German based organization wrote, “There is so far a lack of scientific evidence that glitazones are better than alternative therapies at reducing mortality or complications caused by blood vessel damage in people with type 2 diabetes. As long-term studies are lacking, reliable conclusions on the long-term benefit or harm of these oral antidiabetics are presently possible only to a limited extent. Available studies provide indications that patients could benefit from one of the two currently approved active substances (pioglitazone); however, these studies also provide indications of potential disadvantages, including an increased risk of heart failure.”

One recent clinical trial suggests pioglitazone may cause weight gain and water retention in patients and was less effective in managing blood glucose levels.

While laser eye surgery is available to diabetic patients the recent body of research seems to imply that eye disease in diabetic patients should be strongly considered in the diabetic medications prescribed to patients.

The two primary glitazones generally prescribed to diabetic patients include pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia). Evidence continues to suggest a link between these drugs and issues affecting the vision of diabetic patients who use them.