New evidence-based clinical practice recommendations from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) cover three important topic areas that may affect how primary care physicians care for their patients with diabetes.
According to a commentary being published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the ADA's Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes puts the patient 'center stage' with individualized recommendations. Three revisions or new topics are of substantial interest to nonedocrinologists who care for patients with diabetes.
First, new body mass index (BMI) cut points for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes screening are being recommended for Asian patients, who tend to have more visceral fat, even at lower BMIs.
Second, blood glucose targets should be based on the individual patient's age, comorbid conditions, life expectancy, and the patient's motivation and preferences.
Finally, physicians should treat the patient's cardiovascular risk with statins, and not just focus on number goals, such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure.