Blood Test May Predict Future of Diabetes: New Study
A simple blood test may predict a future of diabetes in people who are still healthy, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health, and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. This latest study involved 1,600 post-menopausal women who gradually developed Type 2 diabetes while being monitored for reasons unrelated to the disease. Researchers say a review of the data from their cases confirms the results of several previous diabetes studies. The data shows that three particular molecules known as cytokines tend to appear very early in the onset of Type 2 diabetes. People with Type 2 diabetes produce insulin, but they either produce insufficient quantities of it, or their bodies can not use it effectively to regulate their blood sugar.
Researchers believe that low-grade inflammation of the body may actually be responsible for promoting insulin resistance, particularly in the liver. That early inflammation is difficult to detect, except it is clearly reflected by the presence of telltale cytokines. Because the inflammation can last for years before finally causing Type 2 diabetes or other diseases, researchers believe a blood test that identifies the cytokines associated with it could predict a future of diabetes in people who don't yet have full diabetic symptoms. Identifying diabetes before the onset of symptoms could prompt patients to begin nutritional and lifestyle interventions much sooner, potentially improving their long-term prognosis.
Previously on the D.C. Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog, we have posted articles related to:
- A study showing older diabetes drugs are better than newer ones
- A report calculating federal spending related to diabetes care
- A study showing that diabetes increases heart disease risk
- A decision by the FDA to place black box warnings on some diabetes drugs