International Diabetes Federation World Diabetes Congress Dubai 2011

Diabetes rate to double in the Middle East in the next 20 years
By 2030, the number of people with diabetes in the Middle East and North Africa is anticipated to reach 59.7 million (11%) – almost double the current figure estimated to be 32.6 million (9.1%).

The figures, which come from the International Diabetes Federation’s 5th edition of the Diabetes Atlas – released to mark World Diabetes Day 2011 – also shows that the Middle East and North Africa region includes six out of the world’s top 10 countries with the highest prevalence of diabetes.

According to IDF estimates, as many as 19.2 million people are still undiagnosed, with new regional data also showing that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the region for younger age groups is substantially higher than the global average.

New criteria for gestational diabetes increase diagnoses
The use of more stringent criteria for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GD) is associated with a 137% increase in prevalence, new data from an Italian study presented at the World Diabetes Congress 2011 shows.

The new criteria, proposed by the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups, are endorsed by the American Diabetes Association but not the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Using the new criteria, GD is diagnosed after a single abnormal fasting plasma glucose (FBG) measurement of 92–126 mg/dL (5.1–7 mmol/L) at the first prenatal visit or, if the initial test is normal, an abnormal oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks’ gestation.

If FBG is ≥92 mg/dL (≥ 5.1 mmol/L), GD is diagnosed when the 1-hour value is ≥180 mg/dL (≥10 mmol/L) or when the 2-hour value is ≥153 mg/dL (≥8.5 mmol/L).

Gastric bypass associated with weight-independent metabolic benefits
Gastric bypass surgery normalised metabolic, inflammatory and vascular risk factors in obese adolescents despite continued obesity 2 years post-surgery, according to a study presented in Dubai.

The prospective, non-randomised study included 81 adolescents (28 males, 53 females) aged 13–18 years (mean age, 16.5 years) who underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery between June 2006 and April 2009.

“Bypass surgery seems to have a weight-independent effect, probably due to the release of GLP-1”, said Emilia Hagman, a PhD student at the Karolinska Institutet, in Stockholm, Sweden, who presented the results on behalf of her colleague Claude Marcus.

Investigational weight-loss drug reverses T2D
An investigational obesity drug reversed type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 15% of participants after just over a year’s treatment, according to new data presented in Dubai.

The drug, with the proposed name “Qnexa”, is a combination of the appetite suppressant phentermine and the anticonvulsant topiramate.

The sub-analysis of the CONQUER trial examined the effect of two different doses of the drug. Resolution of diabetes was seen in 1.7% of participants on placebo, 8.3% of those on the half dose of medication, and 15.4% of those on the full dose.

Fewer CV events with sitagliptin than SUs
People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) treated with sitagliptin experienced a lower incidence of major cardiovascular (CV) events than those treated with sulphonylureas (SUs), according to data presented at the International Diabetes Federation World Diabetes Congress 2011.

The pooled analysis assessed CV data from three trials of people with T2D randomised to receive sitagliptin or an SU as monotherapy, or as add-on to metformin. No major CV events were reported in the sitagliptin arm compared with 11 participants experiencing at least one major CV event in the SU group.

Testosterone replacement improves MetS in men
Testosterone replacement in middle-aged and elderly hypogonadal men significantly improved all components of the metabolic syndrome, according to data presented at the Congress in Dubai.

Positive effects were maintained for at least 60 months in the prospective observational study. A total of 147 hypogonadal men aged 38–83 years participated, all of whom had testosterone levels between 0.14 and 3.51 ng/mL.