Current Diabetes Reviews - Volume 5, Issue 3, 2009

Pregnancy in a diabetic woman brings about many changes that can lead to the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR) or worsening of pre-existing disease. In some patients this may develop into sight threatening disease which, if not treated adequately, can cause devastating visual impairment. There is a lack of established guidelines for screening these patients during pregnancy. In this article we discuss the physiol Read More

The alpha-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose is administered to control blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic patients and, in several countries, in those with impaired glucose tolerance. The efficacy and safety of the drug has been well established in these patient populations. Acarbose shows no weakening of efficacy in long-term diabetes treatment, reduces the development of type 2 diabetes in those with impaired glucose to Read More

Diabetes is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the Western world and it currently affects 35 million people in the US alone. Cardiovascular and renal complications of diabetes, Type I and II, account for much of this morbidity, and are now known to be the end result of a complex interplay of pathophysiological processes. These include haemodynamic and metabolic abnormalities such as endothelial dysfu Read More

Objectives: The aim of this review was to examine the prevalence, incidence and risk factors of chronic heart failure in the type 2 diabetic population. Methods: A systematic search of studies related to chronic heart failure (CHF) in the diabetic population was performed using medical databases. Results: 1) The prevalence of CHF in the diabetic population was approximately 10-23% in the large previously studied cohort Read More

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and pre-gestational diabetes are known to pose risks to the mother and developing fetus, often related to abnormal fetal growth. One potential mediator of maternal effects on fetal growth is Placental Growth Hormone (PGH). PGH is produced by the syncytiotrophoblast and found predominantly in the maternal circulation. It progressively replaces pituitary growth hormone (hGH) in th Read More

The parallel epidemics of obesity and Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are progressing rapidly in Australia. The high prevalence of obesity and sedentary lifestyle in the population, compounded by later child bearing, has led to an increase in the prevalence of T2DM pre-dating pregnancy. In some centers, pregnant women with T2DM now outnumber those with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). Although there is controversy as to whether T2 Read More

Globally, obesity and diabetes (particularly type 2 diabetes) represents a major challenge to world health. Despite decades of intense research efforts, the genetic basis involved in diabetes pathogenesis & conditions associated with obesity are still poorly understood. Recent advances have led to exciting new developments implicating epigenetics as an important mechanism underpinning diabetes and obesity related disease Read More