NEWS
Conference connection
March began with Diabetes UK's Professional Conference, where
thousands of diabetes professionals gathered in Liverpool to hear
about the latest research and other developments in diabetes
healthcare. Round-up by Angela Coffey.
Emotional health
Diabetes UK has launched new resource
for HCP based around supporting the
emotional needs of adults with diabetes.
It has been created on the understanding
that when HCPs consider people's
emotional needs, then their diabetes
management can improve. We know
that diabetes and the constant need for
self-management can be a real strain,
affecting emotional health, and the guide
includes chapters on common issues,
including depression and fear of hypos.
DiRECT findings
The second-year results of the Diabetes
Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) have
revealed that more than a third (36%) of
people with Type 2 diabetes who took part
in the weight management programme
are in remission two years later.
This builds on the first-year results,
which revealed that 46% of participants
were in remission after one year. Of these,
70% are still in remission one year later.
Professor Roy Taylor - who led the
trial alongside Professor Mike Lean - said
the findings "pull down the curtain on the
era of Type 2 diabetes as an inevitably
progressive disease".
Remission was defined if the
participants had a HbA1c of less than
48mmol/L (6.5%) without needing to use
any Type 2 diabetes medications. The
weight management programme, which
involves an intensive low-calorie diet,
also resulted in better quality of life and
reduced need for diabetes medications,
compared to standard care.
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Director of
Research at Diabetes UK, said about the
research, "Remission of Type 2 diabetes
can be life changing; DiRECT offers one
potential solution, we are committed to
working with the researchers and the NHS
to ensure these exciting findings reach
people with Type 2 diabetes as soon as
possible. But we know Type 2 diabetes is
complex, and this approach will not work
for everyone. That's why we're continuing
to invest in further research, to understand
the biology underlying remission and find
ways to make remission a reality for as
many people as possible."
www.diabetes.org.uk/direct
Type 2 remission
Diabetes UK has created an 'information
prescription' to help healthcare professionals talk to patients with Type 2
about the possibility of remission.
The charity produces Information
Prescriptions (IP) to help healthcare
professionals support diabetes patients
to manage their condition and avoid
complications, and cover topics
including HbA1c, foot care and blood
pressure. Currently, remission services
are not provided by the NHS, however
NHS England plans to pilot a remission
programme, while NHS Scotland is rolling
out programmes across the country.
Diabetes UK hopes that this new tool will
help healthcare professionals to dispel
some myths, talk about remission and
how it might be possible for some people.
The charity is asking for feedback on the
new IP from both healthcare professionals
and their patients before it is more widely
available.
If you have Type 2 diabetes and would
like to discuss remission, you can ask
your healthcare professional to download
the template, which can be found at
www.diabetes.org.uk/ip-prof
Bariatric benefits
New research has found that weight loss
(bariatric) surgery in people with Type 2
diabetes can protect against heart and
large blood vessel disease. Bariatric
surgery is already known to help diabetes
management for people with Type 2, as
well as put the condition into remission in
30-60% of cases. continued over