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Diabetes: when treatment is a pain
Having to watch your diet, take more exercise and a range of medications – sometimes including multiple daily insulin injections – can affect your quality of life
Many people with type 2 diabetes say that complex treatment regimes have as great a negative impact on their lives as some of the less serious complications of their illness. As a result, they are ignoring medical advice and their health is suffering. Doctors need to find a better, more convenient way to treat the condition as a matter of urgency, according to a US study published in the latest issue of Diabetes Care.
Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity, is not an easy disease to manage. Sufferers often have to take up to a dozen pills each day, as well as monitoring their condition closely with skin prick blood tests. As the disease progresses, they may need to take daily insulin injections too.
Study author Elbert Huang, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago said: 'The people who have a chronic disease think about their immediate lives and the inconvenience of a multi-drug regimen. The consequences are often poor compliance, which means long-term complications, which will then require more medications.'
University of Chicago researchers focused on 701 adult patients with type 2 diabetes over a two-year period. They asked them to rank the benefits of various treatments, and also what they felt about the burden of common complications.
As expected, patients were most worried by end-stage complications, especially kidney failure, a major stroke or blindness. They were slightly less concerned about amputations or diabetic retina damage; while angina, diabetic nerve or kidney damage caused the least concern.
Patients also disliked intensive treatments, especially multiple daily insulin injections, and 'comprehensive diabetes care', which is intensive glucose control plus other medications. On average, patients ranked the burden of comprehensive diabetes care and intensive glucose control as equal to the burden of angina, diabetic nerve damage or kidney damage.
'It is hard to convince some patients to invest their time and effort now in rigorous adherence to a complex regimen with no immediate reward, just the promise of better health years from now,' said Dr Huang.
According to Caroline Butler, Care Advisor at Diabetes UK, 'Diabetes is a serious, long-term condition that can involve a variety of treatments. Although managing diabetes can be time-consuming and sometimes difficult, it is vital to remember that effective management of the condition is key to preventing serious complications. Well controlled blood glucose levels, together with a healthy lifestyle, will improve wellbeing and reduce the risk of diabetes-related cardiovascular disease, blindness, amputation and stroke.'
At the moment, there is no immediate likelihood that treatment for diabetes will change for the better. In the meantime, people with diabetes may benefit from joining local patient groups for peer support. Also, regular exercise is important to keep symptoms at bay. Studies show that you are more likely to stay motivated if you exercise with a friend.
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.