When it comes to depression and erectile dysfunction (ED) among men with type 2 diabetes, which causes which? Italian authors of the study “Quality of Care and Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes” say the two factors work vice-versa. While depression may prompt the development of ED, signs of ED likewise bring about symptoms of depression. (more…)
Researchers from the Joslin Diabetes Center have identified insulin resistance in the liver as a key factor that causes metabolic syndrome and one of its associated conditions, atherosclerosis.
Not only do the findings provide an understanding of how metabolic syndrome occurs, but it also pinpoint a target for treatment of the condition. “This is one of the first true insights into the role of the liver in the metabolic syndrome and provides guidance for future therapies,” said senior study investigator Dr. C. Ronald Kahn, an internationally recognized researcher in diabetes and metabolism.
Study investigators add that the findings indicate that metabolic syndrome is not merely a collection of abnormalities that should be considered and treated independently, rather, it is a group of closely linked disturbances in glucose and cholesterol metabolism that stem from a defect in insulin signaling in the liver.
Obesity, glucose intolerance, hypertension, low levels of “good” cholesterol, and high levels of triglycerides — all of which are related to insulin resistance — make up the medical problems that identifies metabolic syndrome. Together, these abnormalities are associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis — the buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries that often results to heart attack and stroke.
Joslin Diabetes Center is the world’s largest diabetes clinic, diabetes research center and provider of diabetes education.
Diabetes is a common silent metabolic abnormality, manifested by elevated blood sugar levels, which causes significant cardiovascular disease and death without appropriate treatment. Similar to other risk factors such as abnormal cholesterol levels and hypertension, which in most cases are without symptoms, diabetes can occur for long periods of time in an individual, undetected and unrecognized. This disregard may result in the individual developing serious, life-threatening complications on the heart, kidney, brain, eyes and peripheral arteries over time. (more…)
“My head feels light and I seem to be floating, as if the world is spinning round and round…” These are not the lines of a teenage love song. These are the words of somebody having a dizzy spell.And these words are echoed everyday in doctors’ clinics, oftentimes by the elderly and those with diabetes and hypertension. One out of every three persons above the age of 65 will complain of dizziness at some point. Just how important a symptom is dizziness? How is it different from vertigo? How can blood sugar and blood pressure derangements affect one’s sense of balance? The questions are endless and our ever-anxious patients need to be enlightened on the whys and the hows of dizziness. (more…)
Clinical evidence has shown the necessity for the use of combination therapy, or the use of two or more antihypertensive agents, in the management of hypertension. Observations from major clinical trials in different kinds of patients, from elderly to stroke and diabetic patients, indicate that usually two agents are necessary to control the blood pressure in the majority of these patients. (more…)
