Diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries with high diabetes burden, like India, has become easy thanks to the revised 2013 WHO guidelines. Any intervention that can prevent many more becoming diabetic therefore becomes important. The revised guidelines address the concerns faced by pregnant women with gestational diabetes in … Continue reading Non-fasting test sufficient for gestational diabetes screening
Dr. V. Balaji
Editorial: Let the science decide on plioglitazone
That the Union Health Ministry takes critical decisions affecting a large number of people without any scientific basis does not portend well for public health in India. Neither the ban imposed on the oral anti-diabetes drug pioglitazone on June 18 nor its revocation a month later with a requirement that the medicine be sold with … Continue reading Editorial: Let the science decide on plioglitazone
Drugs board wants ban on Pioglitazone diabetes drug revoked
The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) on Friday recommended revoking the ban on pioglitazone — an oral anti-diabetic drug which was banned on June 18. But the DTAB, which was kept in the dark when the decision to ban was taken, has also recommended that the medicine be sold with a boxed warning (that the … Continue reading Drugs board wants ban on Pioglitazone diabetes drug revoked
Pioglitazone: no bladder cancer for 3 years
A three-year study (2005-2008) undertaken on 204 subjects who had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), a pre-diabetic stage, and who were on pioglitazone drug alone did not find any case of bladder cancer. The primary objective was, however, to see if the drug in addition to lifestyle modifications helped in preventing subjects with IGT from becoming … Continue reading Pioglitazone: no bladder cancer for 3 years
Diabetes drug: ‘Maybe I erred in my judgement’
There is growing evidence that the ban the Union Health Ministry imposed on June 18 on pioglitazone — a widely used anti-diabetes oral drug — was taken with undue haste and in great secrecy. There was no large-scale scientific study undertaken to know the risk of bladder cancer caused by the drug before imposing the … Continue reading Diabetes drug: ‘Maybe I erred in my judgement’
Novel study in TN to know gestational diabetes effects
Published in The Hindu on March 8, 2012 For the first time in the country, 14,000 pregnant women will be screened for gestational diabetes (GDM), and equal number of women with and without gestational diabetes and children born to such mothers would be followed up for 15 years. The screening programme was started two months … Continue reading Novel study in TN to know gestational diabetes effects
Harmful effects of excess sugar intake
Published in The Hindu on February 2, 2012 It may not be providing any nutritional benefits, but added sugar does plenty of harm. There is a great body of scientific evidence that proves the harmful effects of sugar when the intake is in excess. Most importantly, consumption of excess sugar goes beyond increasing body … Continue reading Harmful effects of excess sugar intake
Universal screening for gestational diabetes becomes easier
Published in The Hindu on August 26, 2009 Universal screening of pregnant women for gestational diabetes (GDM) has got a shot in the arm. Women will no longer have to undergo oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) on an empty stomach. According to a study published in the journal Acta Diabetologica, gestational diabetes can be picked … Continue reading Universal screening for gestational diabetes becomes easier
How to prevent your child from getting diabetes
Published in The Hindu on March 29, 2007 Screening for gestational diabetes has got a shot in the arm. All pregnant women in Tamil Nadu will soon be screened for gestational diabetes elevation of a woman's blood glucose level for the first time and during pregnancy. The decision by the State Government comes close … Continue reading How to prevent your child from getting diabetes
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