(Press-News.org) [EMARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY, AUG. 15] Diabetic patients taking oral fluoroquinolones, a frequently prescribed class of antibiotics, were found to have a higher risk of severe blood sugar-related problems than diabetic patients taking other kinds of antibiotics, according to a recent study from Taiwan published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The increased risk was low—hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) related to the drugs occurred in fewer than one in 100 patients studied—but clinicians should consider the higher risk when treating diabetic patients with fluoroquinolones, especially moxifloxacin, and prescribe them cautiously, the study's authors concluded.
Increased use of these drugs, commonly used to treat such illnesses as urinary tract infections and community-acquired pneumonia, has raised concerns about rare but severe adverse effects, including tendon rupture and heart arrhythmia. Previous studies have also indicated a relationship between fluoroquinolones and severe glucose-related abnormalities, known as dysglycemia, which includes hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. Severe blood sugar swings can lead to serious health problems, including irreversible brain damage or even death. In 2006, one drug from the fluoroquinolone class, gatifloxacin, was withdrawn from the U.S. market due to the risk of blood sugar abnormalities.
To assess the risk of blood sugar swings in diabetic patients using specific fluoroquinolones, a team of researchers, led by Mei-Shu Lai, MD, PhD, at National Taiwan University in Taipei, conducted a population-based cohort study of approximately 78,000 people with diabetes in Taiwan from January 2006 to November 2007.
Using the claims database for Taiwan's national insurance program, the researchers analyzed data for diabetic outpatients who had received a new prescription for an antibiotic from one of three different classes of antibiotics: fluoroquinolones (levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, or moxifloxacin); second-generation cephalosporins (cefuroxime, cefaclor, or cefprozil); or macrolides (clarithromycin or azithromycin). The study's authors then looked for any emergency department visits or hospitalizations for dysglycemia among these patients within 30 days of the start of their antibiotic therapy.
Diabetics using oral fluoroquinolones faced greater risk of severe blood sugar swings than diabetic patients using antibiotics in other classes, the researchers found. The risks varied according to the specific fluoroquinolone the patients were using: The absolute risk, or incidence, of hyperglycemia per 1,000 people studied was 6.9 for moxifloxacin, 3.9 for levofloxacin, and 4.0 for ciprofloxacin. The absolute risk of hypoglycemia was 10.0 for moxifloxacin, 9.3 for levofloxacin, and 7.9 for ciprofloxacin.
(By comparison, among diabetic patients taking antibiotics in the macrolides class, the absolute risk of hyperglycemia was lower, at 1.6 per 1,000, and 2.1 per 1,000 among those taking antibiotics in the cephalosporin class; for hypoglycemia, the absolute risk per 1,000 was 3.7 for macrolides and 3.2 for cephalosporins, respectively.)
"Our results identified moxifloxacin as the drug associated with the highest risk of hypoglycemia, followed by levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin," the study's authors wrote. "Other antibiotics should be considered if dysglycemia is a concern, such as a beta lactam or macrolide," noted Dr. Lai.
###
NOTE: The study is available online. It is embargoed until 12:01 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Aug. 15:
Risk of Severe Dysglycemia Among Diabetic Patients Receiving Levofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, or Moxifloxacin in Taiwan
http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/cid/prpaper.pdf
Clinical Infectious Diseases is a leading journal in the field of infectious disease with a broad international readership. The journal publishes articles on a variety of subjects of interest to practitioners and researchers. Topics range from clinical descriptions of infections, public health, microbiology, and immunology to the prevention of infection, the evaluation of current and novel treatments, and the promotion of optimal practices for diagnosis and treatment. The journal publishes original research, editorial commentaries, review articles, and practice guidelines and is among the most highly cited journals in the field of infectious diseases. Clinical Infectious Diseases is an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Based in Arlington, Va., IDSA is a professional society representing nearly 10,000 physicians and scientists who specialize in infectious diseases. For more information, visit http://www.idsociety.org.
Study examines risk of severe blood sugar swings among diabetics taking fluoroquinolones
2013-08-15
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Does chronic pain affect a spouse's sleep?
2013-08-15
Philadelphia, August 15, 2013 – Research suggests that a patient's chronic pain affects a spouse's emotional well-being and marital satisfaction. In a novel study of behavioral health outcomes published in the journal PAIN®, researchers examined the effects of patients' daily knee osteoarthritis pain on their spouses' nightly sleep. They determined that couples who expressed a high degree of closeness in their marriage experienced a stronger association between pain levels and the spouse's ability to sleep restfully. Findings further illustrated that chronic pain may place ...
The first animal model for sexual transmission of HIV
2013-08-15
Infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a debilitating disorder in which progressive weakening of the immune system makes affected individuals more susceptible to potentially life-threatening infections and chronic diseases. Despite advances in the treatment and management of AIDS, there is no cure, and HIV infection remains a major global health problem. According to the WHO, there were an estimated 34 million infected individuals in 2011. Over the last three decades, a number of animal models have been developed ...
Chronicling cancer experience online can reduce depressive symptoms in breast cancer patients
2013-08-14
Adults increasingly are conveying their personal experiences with serious disease online, but do such chronicles help the authors or their audience?
In the first known study of its kind, UCLA researchers discovered that creating a personal website to chronicle the cancer experience and communicate with one's social network can reduce depressive symptoms, increase positive mood and enhance appreciation for life among women diagnosed with breast cancer.
The study, published online Aug. 12 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (and scheduled for print publication at ...
Plastic solar cells' new design promises bright future
2013-08-14
Energy consumption is growing rapidly in the 21st century, with rising energy costs and sustainability issues greatly impacting the quality of human life. Harvesting energy directly from sunlight to generate electricity using photovoltaic technologies is considered to be one of the most promising opportunities to produce electricity in an environmentally benign fashion.
Among the various photovoltaic technologies, polymer (plastic) solar cells offer unique attractions and opportunities. These solar cells contain Earth-abundant and environmentally benign materials, can ...
1-pot to prep biomass for biofuels
2013-08-14
The advantages of the "one-stop" shop have long been recognized in the retailing and services industries. Similar advantages would also be realized for the biofuels industry with the development of a "one-pot" processing system in which sugars could be extracted from biomass and turned into fuels in a single vat. A major step forward in this goal has now been achieved by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) who report the first demonstration of a one-pot, wash-free, process for the ionic liquid pretreatment and saccharification ...
Digital streak camera captures full-color photographs of high-speed objects
2013-08-14
LAGUNA HILLS, California, USA -- Researchers at MetroLaser, Inc., have developed a new design for a digital streak camera that captures full-color images of projectiles traveling up to 3350 m/s, which is 10 times the speed of sound. This system was designed to replace the outdated film-based streak cameras that are still in use at high-speed test tracks.
Film-based streak photography records the motion of an object as it passes in front of a camera lens, while the film moves behind a vertical slit aperture during the exposure. The result is a long, continuous composite ...
Children of obese mothers face risk of early death, study shows
2013-08-14
Children born to obese mothers are more likely to die early as adults than those whose mothers were a normal weight, a study has found.
The offspring of obese mothers are one-third more likely to die before the age of 55, mainly as a result of heart disease, researchers found.
Children born to mothers who were overweight when they became pregnant were also 10 per cent more likely to die prematurely in later life than those born to mothers of a normal weight.
The study, carried out by the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen, examined the health records of more ...
Children of obese mothers at greater risk of early heart death as adults
2013-08-14
Children of obese and overweight women have a higher risk of early cardiovascular death as adults, finds a study published on bmj.com today.
The findings highlight the urgent need for strategies to prevent obesity in women of childbearing age and the need to assess the offspring of obese mothers for their cardiovascular risk, say the authors.
Rates of maternal obesity have risen rapidly in the past two decades. In the United States, about 64% of women of reproductive age are overweight and 35% are obese, with a similar pattern in Europe.
Many studies have shown a ...
How bacteria found in mouth may cause colorectal cancer
2013-08-14
Gut microbes have recently been linked to colorectal cancer, but it has not been clear whether and how they might cause tumors to form in the first place. Two studies published by Cell Press on August 14th in the journal Cell Host & Microbe reveal how gut microbes known as fusobacteria, which are found in the mouth, stimulate bad immune responses and turn on cancer growth genes to generate colorectal tumors. The findings could lead to more effective strategies for the early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of colorectal cancer.
"Fusobacteria may provide not only ...
CWRU dental researchers discover how an oral bacterium can trigger colorectal cancer
2013-08-14
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine have discovered how a common oral bacterium can contribute to colorectal cancer, a finding that opens promising new research avenues for the development of approaches to prevent and treat the disease.
"We found this cancer is linked to an infection from [the bacterium]," said Yiping Han, professor of periodontics at the dental school and the study's lead investigator. "This discovery creates the potential for new diagnostic tools and therapies to treat and prevent the cancer."
The results of ...