Diabetes Forecast - August 2014

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Meter Features

AFTER PERUSING YOUR excellent Consumer Guide to diabetes products in the January 2014 issue, I am surprised that your reviews of blood glucose meters do not mention the two features that are most important to me, besides accuracy and small sample size.

The first feature is the ability to add blood to a strip that is not saturated. With all three meters I use, I can apply some blood to a strip, put the meter down, squeeze my finger or lance it again as necessary, and then apply more blood to the same strip. This prevents wasting strips.

The second feature is a port light that illuminates the opening into which the strip is inserted. This allows me to test in the dark without holding a light between my teeth, during the night without disturbing my husband, in a car at night (when I am not driving), or in a dark theater.

Barbara Gilman, Dunwoody, Ga.

The Editors respond: It’s always great to hear about what our readers would like to know. We will definitely consider adding such details to the meter section of the Consumer Guide. Thank you.

Cutting Humor

RECENT ITEMS IN the magazine about traveling with testing equipment brought to mind a trip to Asia about 20 years ago.

I carried a tester, strips, lancets, and spare parts in a fanny pack. Airport security in China was considerable. We were advised that the X-ray equipment was rather strong and might create problems with the tester.

At each airport check-in I would remove the fanny pack and ask the inspector to examine the contents visually.

One guard asked me to show every item
and explain its purpose. I showed him
the meter and test strips. Then the guard
held up the lancing device and asked,
“What is this?”
Without thinking, I replied, “Stick out
your finger and I’ll show you!”
Fortunately, the guard laughed and sent
me on my way.

Robert Leffler, Tucson, Ariz.

Continued from page 12

ASK THE

What to Know: The leading cause of death in people with diabetes is heart disease. The most effective therapy to lower the long-term risk of atherosclerotic heart disease (disease that starts in the arteries) is a statin. Statins reduce risk mostly by lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Several years ago, a very large study of a statin was done in patients at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. That trial found a small but significant increased risk of being diagnosed with diabetes in the group on the statin compared with the group on placebo (a sugar pill). The incidence was 3 percent in the statin group and 2. 4 percent in the placebo group.

This prompted other researchers to go back through studies of other statins, and it turned out that the finding was consistent across different statin drugs. As far as we can tell from the data, women are at no more risk of developing statin-associated diabetes than men. The risk was greatest among people with risk factors for type 2 diabetes (higher body weight, more sedentary lifestyle, high triglycerides). But the same reanalyses of these trials also confirmed the overwhelming benefit of statins for the heart. This benefit is actually even greater in patients with diabetes or at risk for diabetes compared with other patients. In the final analysis, for every one new case of diabetes that was diagnosed in the statin group, the statin prevented five new cases of heart disease.

Find Out More: The websites of the American Heart Association ( heart.org) and American Diabetes Association ( diabetes.org) offer helpful information about the risks versus the benefits of being on statin therapy.

Takeaways: While there is a small increased risk of developing elevated blood sugar on a statin, the risk is primarily in people already at risk for developing diabetes. The benefit of the statin for the heart far outweighs these risks.

Craig Williams, PharmD, responds: Every drug has risks and benefits, and the decision of whether or not to use a drug depends on the balance of those factors in a patient.

What Links Statins to Type 2?

There has been news that statins contribute to diabetes in women. As a woman who has taken statins and been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (I have no family history nor do I meet the usual profile of a type 2 diagnosis), I would like to know more about this link.