CT scans may help identify diabetics at risk for early death
Patients who have type 2 diabetes often buy Actos to help manage their blood sugar levels.
Patients who have type 2 diabetes often buy Actos to help manage their blood sugar levels. The condition, in which the cells of the body are resistant to insulin and cannot efficiently take up glucose as a result, may increase the risk of developing heart disease and experiencing an early death. Those who are at risk for these complications may benefit from a computed tomography (CT) scan, according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Lead author Donald W. Bowden, who directs the Center for Diabetes Research, said that the assessment can identify a subset of individuals who have the highest likelihood of early death. He and his colleagues followed nearly 1,500 diabetic patients in North Carolina over a period of 13 years.
"When we reviewed the data last year, we were shocked by the number of participants who had already died during this study," Bowden explained. "We wanted to find out if there were any predictors of who would succumb versus those who are still living."
The team found that CT scans may help identify patients' coronary artery calcium score, a strong indicator of coronary heart disease. Identifying individuals with high levels of calcified plaque in their blood vessels may enable doctors to administer prompt treatment to prevent the condition from worsening.
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