To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: Early Insulin for Patients With Nearly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes
URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/221E52.htm
Doctor's Guide
May 23, 2008

LONDON -- May 23, 2008 -- Early intensive insulin therapy in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes might improve beta-cell function and result in extended glycaemic remissions, reported a recent study published in The Lancet. Researchers performed a multicentre, randomised trial to compare the effects of transient intensive insulin therapy with oral hypoglycaemic agents on beta-cell function and diabetes remission rate.

This study enrolled 382 patients, aged 25 to 70 years from 9 centres in China between September 2004 and October 2006. The patients, with fasting plasma glucose of 7.0 to 16.7 mmol/L, were randomly assigned to therapy with insulin or oral hypoglycaemic agents for initial rapid correction of hyperglycaemia. Treatment was stopped after normoglycaemia was maintained for 2 weeks. Patients were then followed up on diet and exercise alone. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests were performed and blood glucose, insulin, and proinsulin were measured before and after therapy withdrawal and at 1-year follow-up. The primary endpoint was time of glycaemic remission and remission rate at 1 year after short-term intensive therapy.

More patients achieved target glycaemic control in the insulin groups than those treated with oral hypoglycaemic agents. Also, remission rates after 1 year were significantly higher in the insulin groups than in the oral hypoglycaemic agents group. Beta-cell function and acute insulin response improved significantly after intensive interventions. The increase in acute insulin response was sustained in the insulin groups but significantly declined in the oral hypoglycaemic agents group at 1 year in all patients in the remission group.

These results demonstrated that excellent glycaemic control could be successfully achieved in 7.9 days in most patients with mean fasting plasma glucose of 11.2 mmol/L, irrespective of insulin use, or oral hypoglycaemic intervention.

Researchers concluded that early intensive insulin interventions in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes improve recovery and maintenance of beta-cell function and prolonged glycaemic remission. These favourable outcomes were observed when compared with treatment of oral hypoglycaemic agents. These findings support the initiation of early transient intensive insulin treatment in those patients.


SOURCE: The Lancet

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet*
located at http://www.docguide.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Return to News Story Page

This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com
Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs.
All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc.
All rights reserved.