Second diabetes type 2 program examines kidney disease and diabetic retinopathy
September 18, 2009Rural and remote health practitioners around Australia are being updated about new treatment and management guidelines for patients who have developed chronic kidney disease and diabetic retinopathy which can prevent deterioration and optimise health.
The guidelines suggest that by knowing the general targets in care as described in the new type 2 diabetes guidelines addressing diabetes complications, individualised targets for blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol can then be customised - in consultation with a particular person who has diabetes.
Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Health Education Foundation, Don Perlgut, says the Foundation’s upcoming simultaneous live satellite and webcast program on the specific guidelines related to patients with chronic kidney disease and diabetic retinopathy is vital for rural practitioners as it will help them to not only optimise treatment outcomes for existing type 2 diabetes patients, but also assist in preventing the onset of the disease in others.
He says: “The value in communicating this sort of information which assists in preventing and managing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes has been reiterated by the Australian Government’s announcement of a National Preventative Health Strategy which specifically recommended greater emphasis on addressing the incidence of chronic diseases.”
Diabetes expert and Medical Head of Endocrinology Research Laboratories at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Associate Professor Stephen Twigg, says the upcoming program on two evidence-based clinical guidelines relating specifically to Diabetic Retinopathy and Chronic Kidney Disease will be of particular importance to rural health practitioners because evidence shows that death rates from diabetes as the underlying cause of death do increase with increasing rurality¹.
“Lifestyle still remains the key determinant in helping prevent the development of type 2 diabetes, however in patients who already have diabetic retinopathy and chronic kidney disease these new guidelines will assist in individualising appropriate targets from the general range and monitoring those targets which, with the added benefit of medication, can empower people with diabetes to better manage their condition,” he says.
Twigg explains that blood glucose is most closely linked to diabetic retinopathy and both blood glucose and blood pressure control are important targets in managing diabetic retinopathy and chronic kidney disease.
All people with diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy at any point in time but vision loss or blindness is preventable through early detection and timely treatment. In Australia, diabetes is the most common cause of blindness in people under the age of 60.
“However, with adequate diabetes care, only a small fraction of people with diabetes will develop such an advanced complication,” he adds.
Diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney failure in the developed world and accounts for 35-40% of new cases each year. Development of the condition is slow, but rigorous monitoring of risk factors and blood glucose levels assists in lessening the potential renal affects of diabetes.
The new type 2 diabetes treatment and management guidelines match recommended patient treatment with the latest evidence and research and have been endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
A series of four programs on the new Guidelines is being satellite broadcast and web-cast by the Rural Health Education Foundation, providing an educational package for all rural and remote health practitioners which includes key practice points and goals for patient treatment.
The series continues to air between September and November 2009 with each program covering specific sections of the guidelines.
Each broadcast includes live panel discussions with leading clinicians in the area of diabetes as well as filmed case studies which showcase innovative approaches to best practice prevention, diagnosis and management of type 2 diabetes.
The second program will focus on the two guidelines involving diabetic retinopathy and chronic kidney disease and will be broadcast to rural health professionals on September 22.
Future programs will include guidelines focusing on case detection and diagnosis; primary prevention; and diabetes in relation to Indigenous Australians.