Most Adult Diabetics Do Not Understand Their
Disease

NEW YORK, Nov 30 (Reuters Health) -- Nearly three
quarters of adult diabetics lack basic
information about their disease -- information
that could help them control the disease better,
results of a new telephone poll suggest.


In the nationwide survey of more than 1,000
patients with type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes, 75%
said they did not understand or had never heard
of insulin resistance, an underlying cause of the
disease.

In type 2 diabetes, the body does not produce
enough of the hormone insulin or does not use it
properly. The latter condition is known as
insulin resistance. Insulin is needed for the
body to use glucose (blood sugar) properly. When
there is not enough insulin, glucose builds up in
the bloodstream and causes problems.

According to the poll, sponsored by the
Chicago-based American Association of Diabetes
Educators, participants who could not define
insulin resistance were among the least likely to
be taking any one of a new class of diabetes
drugs, called thiazolidinediones, that treat
insulin resistance. Such drugs, including Avandia
(rosiglitazone), Actos (pioglitazone), and
Rezulin (troglitazone), help the body maximize
its own insulin supply.

"These findings are alarming and demonstrate the
critical need for greater education about insulin
resistance to help patients keep their diabetes
in check," Christine Tobin, president of the
American Association of Diabetes Educators,
commented in a statement to the media.

"If we can help patients understand the need to
directly treat insulin resistance and take
appropriate medications early in the disease, we
will likely improve their overall diabetes
management," Tobin added. "Better control can
help prevent the severe complications that may
develop over time."

According to the survey results, participants who
did not understand insulin resistance were the
least likely to have good control of their blood
levels of glucose, and participants who did
understand insulin resistance were the most
likely to have good control.

Glucose control can be monitored by testing for
levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (abbreviated
HbA1c). Three quarters of those polled did not
know their current HbA1c level, and 77% did not
know what the target level should be.

The target level is about 4% to 6%, according to
the American Diabetes Association. The poll found
that 18% of participants who knew the correct
definition of insulin resistance had an HbA1c
level of less than 7%, compared with only 8% of
those who did not know the definition.

Nearly three quarters of the survey participants
said that they want more information about their
disease, and only 28% reported having discussed
insulin resistance with their doctor.

"This survey underscores the need for increasing
access to educational efforts to let patients
know where to get help," Tobin concluded.

The American Association of Diabetes Educators
offers a hotline, 1-800-TEAMUP4, that links
diabetics to an educator in their area.

For more news, visit the Diabetes.com Newsroom.