Private MD News

Starting drug therapy immediately after diagnosis dramatically increases su

Updated: 2010-03-09 18:58:06 CST Category: Diabetes

by Alex Schoenfeld

People who test positive for diabetes should begin treatment immediately, a new study has found. Researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research discovered that the sooner than diabetics start taking metformin, an inexpensive, generic drug that helps patients prevent dangerously high blood sugar levels, the longer the drug remains effective.

Metformin is the most commonly recommended first-line treatment option for people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but unfortunately, the drug eventually stops working in most patients.

In the study, the researchers utilized electronic health records to monitor approximately 1,800 diabetics for a period of five years. They found that metformin failed at a rate of 12 percent a year for patients who were prescribed the drug within the first three months of diagnosis. In contrast, patients who started taking metformin between one and two years after diagnosis experienced a failure rate of 21.4 percent per year.

"We believe that starting the drug early preserves the body's own ability to control blood sugar, which in turn prevents the long-term complications of diabetes like heart disease, kidney failure, and blindness," concluded study co-author Gregory Nichols.

Related Articles from Private MD:

• Hormone found to be more effective than insulin in controlling blood sugar
  
• Childhood obesity risk higher in minorities
  
• Fatigue in dialysis patients linked to increased risk of cardiovascular eve
  
• Excessive weight gain in pregnant women linked to increased risk of gestati
  
• Diabetes medications may lead to increased risk of bone fracture in women
  

Subscribe to Private MD Health News RSS Feed:

Visit the Health News Archive: Click Here

Questions about online blood testing or how to order a lab test? Click here to get started or call us toll-free at 1.877.283.7882. Our certified professionals are ready to assist you.