Diabetes Update: Smartphone Craze Not So Crazy

Pokémon Goes Far Toward Diabetes Prevention:

Breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of standing or walking improves postprandial markers of cardiometabolic health in women at high risk for type 2 diabetes. Standing and walking reduced glucose, insulin, and nonesterified fatty acids responses. Study authors suggested that playing Pokémon Go, the immensely popular reality game that involves walking long distances, could help remedy the physical inactivity associated with diabetes and obesity.

Diabetes Overlooked in Teens:

More teens have diabetes than previously known, and many don’t know they have it. Diabetes prevalence among teens previously was estimated at 0.34%. In a recent JAMA study, the prevalence was 0.8%-with 29% undiagnosed-and the prevalence of prediabetes was 18%. Authors suggest a need for improved screening among adolescents because diabetes in youth is associated with early onset of risk factors and complications.

Dysglycemia Detection Often Misses the Mark:

Researchers investigated the performance of the 2015 USPSTF screening recommendation for prediabetes and diabetes with a retrospective analysis of EHR data from 50,515 adult overweight or obese primary care patients. They found that targeted diabetes screening based on the new USPSTF criteria may detect only about half of adult community health center patients with undiagnosed dysglycemia, and fewer racial and ethnic minorities than whites.

Call for Gender-specific Diabetes Treatment:

Researchers suggest there are clinically important sex and gender differences in patients with type 2 diabetes. The diagnosis is made at a lower age and body mass index in men, but the biggest risk factor, obesity, is more common in women. Women are at greater risk for cardiovascular risk, myocardial infarction, and stroke mortality, but when dialysis therapy is initiated, mortality is comparable.

Conclusion

: more gender-specific treatment is needed.

High Hypoglycemia Hospitalization Rates Reflect Global Burden:

Over 10 years, hospital admissions for hypoglycemia in England increased by 39%. However, admissions for diabetes, length of hospital stay, mortality, and 1-month readmissions decreased. Given the continuous rise of diabetes prevalence, an aging population, and the associated costs, researchers suggested initiatives are needed to reduce the burden of hospital admissions for hypoglycemia.

Flu Vaccine Fights Cardiovascular Events:

Rates of hospital admissions for certain cardiovascular events are reduced with influenza vaccination of patients with type 2 diabetes. Vaccination was associated with significantly lower admission rates for stroke and heart failure, as well as pneumonia or influenza and all-cause death. There was a nonsignificant change for acute MI during the influenza seasons. Researchers called for a greater focus on improving vaccine uptake in these patients.