revision
05-23-2009, 01:55 PM
Drug cuts diabetes amputation, study finds
Sat, 23 May 2009 13:17:18 GMT
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=95713§ionid=3510210
Taking a certain cholesterol-lowering drug can help reduce the risk of lower-limb amputation in individuals suffering from type-2 diabetes.
Diabetes-related amputations, which occur every 30 seconds worldwide, impose a huge burden on the victims, their families and healthcare systems.
Previous studies had considered positive history of cardiovascular or microvascular diseases, earlier non-traumatic amputation, skin ulcer, smoking and a longer duration of diabetes as factors contributing to an increased risk of amputation in diabetics.
Height has also been reported as a major predictor of amputation in this population; every 10 centimeter increase in height is associated with a 1.6-fold rise in amputation risk.
According to a study published in The Lancet, treating type-2 diabetes sufferers with 'fenofibrate' -- a drug commonly used to treat high cholesterol and triglyceride levels -- cuts the amputation risk by 36 percent.
Fenofibrate is reported to be more effective in preventing below-the-ankle amputations.
The drug is believed to lower the amputation risk through improving the functioning of small blood vessels rather than lowering the blood cholesterol levels; it also lowers the risk of large-vessel disease in the amputated limb.
The study concludes that taking the drug for 1.5 years has considerable effects in reducing amputation risk; they therefore hope their findings will lead to a major change in standard treatment for the prevention of diabetes-related lower-limb amputations.
Sat, 23 May 2009 13:17:18 GMT
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=95713§ionid=3510210
Taking a certain cholesterol-lowering drug can help reduce the risk of lower-limb amputation in individuals suffering from type-2 diabetes.
Diabetes-related amputations, which occur every 30 seconds worldwide, impose a huge burden on the victims, their families and healthcare systems.
Previous studies had considered positive history of cardiovascular or microvascular diseases, earlier non-traumatic amputation, skin ulcer, smoking and a longer duration of diabetes as factors contributing to an increased risk of amputation in diabetics.
Height has also been reported as a major predictor of amputation in this population; every 10 centimeter increase in height is associated with a 1.6-fold rise in amputation risk.
According to a study published in The Lancet, treating type-2 diabetes sufferers with 'fenofibrate' -- a drug commonly used to treat high cholesterol and triglyceride levels -- cuts the amputation risk by 36 percent.
Fenofibrate is reported to be more effective in preventing below-the-ankle amputations.
The drug is believed to lower the amputation risk through improving the functioning of small blood vessels rather than lowering the blood cholesterol levels; it also lowers the risk of large-vessel disease in the amputated limb.
The study concludes that taking the drug for 1.5 years has considerable effects in reducing amputation risk; they therefore hope their findings will lead to a major change in standard treatment for the prevention of diabetes-related lower-limb amputations.