Hong Kong
Search
Sign In
Change Password
Points
Sign Out
Endocrinology
Top Medical News
For patients with gout and obesity, an intensive dietary intervention leads to reductions in body weight, but the weight loss does not necessarily translate to improvements in serum urate, fatigue, and pain, according to a study.
In people with diabetes, cataract surgery helps preserve both objective and subjective measures of visual function for up to 20 years, according to a study.
A voice-based conversational artificial intelligence application helps type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients navigate basal insulin titration at home and, in turn, achieve rapid glycaemic control, as reported in a study.
Use of semaglutide 2.4 mg results in substantial weight reduction in patients with severe obesity who had previously undergone bariatric surgery (BS) but failed to achieve satisfactory weight loss, reports a recent study.
It is safe to use long-term growth hormone (GH) therapy in patients with decompensated cirrhosis (DC), suggests a study, noting improvements in malnutrition and even quality of life (QoL). However, 12-month survival does not seem to improve.
A recent study has shown that healthy men and women with overweight or obesity who undergo voluntary calorie restriction (CR), without a structure exercise program, attain decreases in skeletal muscle (SM) mass of approximately 2 to 2.5 kg and 1 to 1.5 kg per 10-kg weight loss, respectively.
Semaglutide is associated with a 49─73 percent lower risk of suicidal ideation vs other agents for treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a National Institutes of Health (NIH)─funded study has shown.
Special Reports
Early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD) enables early optimization of organ-protective treatment to help avert the substantial healthcare burden associated with the condition. At an industry-sponsored symposium organized by the Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology (APSN), Professor See-Cheng Yeo of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, and Professor Meg Jardine of the University of Sydney, Australia, discussed evidence supporting earlier and broader use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors (eg, empagliflozin) in CKD, highlighting guideline recommendations for SGLT2 inhibitors as first-line (1L) therapy in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥20 mL/min/1.73 m2.
Ageing is characterized by systemic chronic inflammation, which is accompanied by age-related conditions (eg, type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM] and osteoarthritis [OA]) and complications (eg, peripheral neuropathy [PN]). This article summarizes insights from an industry-sponsored symposium on healthy ageing coordinated by the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians, which focused on the role of primary care physicians in management of chronic inflammatory conditions, and in early diagnosis and treatment of PN.
An 80-year-old woman with 1 year’s history of significant proteinuria presented in January 2022 with bilateral ankle swelling. Due to reduced walking ability and exercise tolerance, she became almost homebound and unable to go to the market, which she used to do every day.
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have demonstrated cardiorenal benefits in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and those with heart failure (HF) or chronic kidney disease (CKD) with or without diabetes. However, misconceptions may lead to inertia in treatment initiation in elderly patients. At a Boehringer Ingelheim–sponsored symposium organized by the Hong Kong Geriatrics Society, Professor Silvio Inzucchi of Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, US, and Professor Michael Böhm of Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany, presented pivotal trial and real-world data demonstrating empagliflozin’s cardiorenal benefits and safety in elderly patients with these closely interrelated cardio-renalmetabolic (CRM) conditions.
Hyperkalaemia or concerns regarding potential hyperkalaemia may contribute to dose reduction or discontinuation of reninangiotensin system inhibitors (RASIs). At a recent diabetic kidney disease (DKD) expert meeting chaired by Professor Juliana Chan of the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and Professor Sydney Tang of the Department of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), a panel of clinical pharmacologists, endocrinologists and nephrologists shared insights into personalized potassium management and provided practical guidance on RASI optimization.
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been dubbed “surprise blockbusters” because of their paradigm-shifting cardiorenal benefits in chronic kidney disease (CKD). At an industry-sponsored symposium during the 18th Congress of Asian Society of Transplantation (CAST 2023), Professor Kai-Uwe Eckardt of the Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, reviewed findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and a recent meta-analysis showing reductions in risk of kidney disease progression and acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with these agents. He also discussed how these effects potentially delay the need for dialysis and kidney transplantation.
The aim of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) treatment
is to reduce chronic exposure to elevated LDL–cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, which
are associated with an increased risk of premature atherosclerotic
cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Since prognosis largely depends on LDL-C
levels, they also guide FH treatment strategy. In an interview with MIMS
Doctor, Dr David Lui of the Department of Medicine, the University of Hong
Kong, describes guideline-recommended management of FH and the role of
evolocumab, a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor,
in helping patients achieve target LDL-C levels.
Conference Reports
Treatment with dapagliflozin results in a lower risk of worsening heart failure (HF) or cardiovascular death and improvements in symptoms among patients with HF and type 2 diabetes (T2D), with or without neuropathy, according to a study presented at AHA 2023. However, the beneficial effects of dapagliflozin appears more evident in those with neuropathy.
Once weekly treatment with the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) semaglutide significantly reduced HbA1c level and body weight in a large cohort of adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a real-world study from Israel.
Treatment with bimagrumab appears to prevent muscle loss resulting from inadequate protein intake and increase muscle mass in the setting of enough protein intake, according to data from phase I and IIa studies.
Treatment with faster-acting insulin aspart in pregnant women with diabetes appears to have no adverse effect on foetal growth and even leads to fewer episodes of hypoglycaemia, according to the Copenfast trial.
A population-based study suggests that the incidence of periodontitis co-occurs with various other diabetes-related complications, underpinning the importance of oral health checks in diabetes management.
Among type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with and without comorbid cardiovascular disease, those who have been newly initiated to glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) or sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) appear to enjoy greater reductions in the risks of stroke and death when compared with new users of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i), suggests a study.
Nearly half of individuals with a newly diagnosed type 1 (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, according to a study presented at EASD 2023. These GI adverse events that are associated with glucose-lowering medications occur more frequently among those with already existing GI symptoms prior to treatment initiation.
Multimedia
