Study suggests diabetes treatment may increase chance of heart trouble
BY HANNAH BUNNING Special to the news news@gulfbreezenews.com

Meaney

Both patients and practitioners have doubts about a new study on people with Type 2 diabetes due to the population studied.

A new study called Accord, Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes, shows that people with Type 2 diabetes who are on an intense program to lower their blood sugar could be at a higher risk for heart attack, heart disease and even death.

These findings could undermine all that people have previously thought on the topic of diabetes.

The study was conducted using people divided into groups based on the intensity of their case. Those with the most serious cases were the most affected by the disease and showed an increased risk of health issues.

Clarke Lee was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in September 1996.

"This really knocks me back," he said. "I am wondering what is real."

He uses medication and diet to keep his blood sugar in check.

This new study goes against everything he has been told about the disease and it could revolutionize treatment all around, he said. He plans to discuss the new findings with his doctor.

The study was done with 10,251 participants, according to accordtrail.org, and of that number, 257 members of the intensive group study have died.

The participants of the study followed the treatmenplan for four to eight years at 77 Clinical Sites in the U.S. and Canada.

"They studied people who would have had heart attacks anyway," said Susanne Meaney, a physician's assistant and diabetic expert at Live Oak Medical Center in Gulf Breeze, Fla. "These people probably had advanced metabolic syndrome and visceral fat around their organs."

Meaney said she thinks treatment for those with Type 2 diabetes will remain the same for the most part. Although they may begin to catch people earlier due to the more serious factors.

The study was conducted to determine whether heath risks from cardiovascular disease could be reduced by intensely regulating blood sugar levels, specifically in those with Type 2. Participants used medication to keep their blood sugar low.

Sal Gomez has had the disease since 1997 and uses medication to control it.

"I don't take for granted 100 percent what doctors say," he said. "I have made my doctor change my medications many times."

Gomez keeps up with new research on medication through the Internet and talking with friends. He is very careful with the medications he takes and the effects they have. He often discovers new medications that he prefers to his current ones.

"Sometimes you think you're doctor should know what's going on, but they're busy," he said.

Dr. Michael James Haller said, in an e-mail interview, that he thinks there will need to be more follow-up research before changes will be made in treatment methods.

He said the risk for normal diabetic complications, including eye, kidney and nerve damage, is real. Reducing blood sugar is the key to controlling these complications.

Haller also said that the results from the study must be interpreted with caution, because the group being studied is made up of very high-risk patients.

Haller believes those in the high-risk group were more likely to have cardiovascular problems regardless of the treatment prescribed.

Both Haller and Meaney agree that the most effective ways of managing blood sugar levels are with diet and exercise, and that more research must be done in order for doctors to reevaluate the treatment of diabetes patients.