PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Diabetes: We are in it together

2014-01-24
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Julie Robert
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
514-934-1934 x71381
McGill University Health Centre
Diabetes: We are in it together

This news release is available in French.

Montreal, January 23 2014 – Living in a household implies sharing duties and responsibilities but it could also imply sharing your diabetes. A research team from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) has shown, through combined analyses of several studies, evidence that spousal diabetes is a diabetes risk factor. These findings, published today in the open access journal BMC Medicine, have important clinical implications since they can help improve diabetes detection and motivate couples to work together to reduce the risk of developing the condition.

"We found a 26% increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes if your spouse also has type 2 diabetes," says senior author of the study, Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, researcher at the Research Institute of the MUHC and an associate professor of medicine at McGill University. "This may be a platform to assist clinicians to develop strategies to involve both partners. Changing health behaviour is challenging and if you have the collaboration of your partner it's likely to be easier."

Dr. Dasgupta's team, located at the Division of Clinical Epidemiology of the MUHC, wanted to see if diabetes in one partner could lead to diabetes in the other partner because many of the risk behaviours that lead to diabetes, such as poor eating habits and low physical activity, could be shared within a household.

Researchers analyzed results from six selected studies that were conducted in different parts of the world and looked at key outcomes such as age, socioeconomic status and the way in which diabetes was diagnosed in 75,498 couples.

Most of the studies used in the meta analysis relied on health records which may not always accurately record diabetes. Those that used direct blood testing suggested that diabetes risk doubles if your partner has diabetes. A strong correlation with pre-diabetes risk was also found.

"When we look at the health history of patients, we often ask about family history," says Dr. Dasgupta. "Our results suggest spousal history may be another factor we should take in consideration."

According to Dr. Dasgupta, spousal diabetes is also a potential tool for early diabetes detection. "The results of our review suggest that diabetes diagnosis in one spouse may warrant increased surveillance in the other," she says. "Moreover, it has been observed that men are less likely than women to undergo regular medical evaluation after childhood and that can result in delayed diabetes detection. As a result, men living with a spouse with diabetes history may particularly benefit from being followed more closely."



INFORMATION:

About the study:

The paper entitled Spousal diabetes as a diabetes risk factor: A systematic review and meta-analysis (BMC Medicine 2014, 12:12) was coauthored by Aaron Leong ( Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and Division of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada ); Elham Rahme and Kaberi Dasgupta ( Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre; Department of Medicine, McGill University; Division of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada ).

This work was supported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Related links:

BMC Medicine: http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed McGill University Health Centre (MUHC): http://www.muhc.ca Research Institute of the MUHC: http://www.muhc.ca/research McGill University: http://www.mcgill.ca

For more information please contact:

Julie Robert
Public Affairs & Strategic planning
McGill University Health Centre
514 934-1934 ext. 71381
julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca
facebook.com/cusm.muhc|http://www.muhc.ca



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

11,000-year-old living dog cancer reveals its secrets

2014-01-24
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 23-Jan-2014 [ | E-mail ] var addthis_pub="eurekalert"; var addthis_options = "favorites, delicious, digg, facebook, twitter, google, newsvine, reddit, slashdot, stumbleupon, buzz, more" Share Contact: Aileen Sheehy press.office@sanger.ac.uk 44-012-234-92368 Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute 11,000-year-old living dog cancer reveals its secrets Genome of longest-living cancer reveals its origin and evolution VIDEO: Dr. Elizabeth Murchison ...

When nanotechnology meets quantum physics in 1 dimension

2014-01-24
How would electrons behave if confined to a wire so slender they could pass through it only in single-file? The question has intrigued ...

Almost 200 years later, are we living in the final days of the stethoscope?

2014-01-24
An editorial in this month's edition of Global Heart (the journal of the World Heart Federation) suggests the world of medicine could be experiencing its final days of the stethoscope, ...

Evidence rapidly building on utility of ultrasound in areas other than cardiology

2014-01-24
A paper in this month's edition of Global Heart (the journal of the World Heart Federation) says there is mounting evidence regarding the utility of ultrasound in areas outside its ...

New genes spring and spread from non-coding DNA

2014-01-24
"Where do new genes come from?" is a long-standing question in genetics and evolutionary biology. A new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis, published Jan. 23 in Science Express, shows ...

Probing hydrogen catalyst assembly

2014-01-24
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 23-Jan-2014 [ | E-mail ] var addthis_pub="eurekalert"; var addthis_options = "favorites, delicious, digg, facebook, twitter, google, newsvine, reddit, slashdot, stumbleupon, buzz, more" Share Contact: Andy Fell ahfell@ucdavis.edu 530-752-4533 University of California - Davis Probing hydrogen catalyst assembly VIDEO: Inexpensive catalysts for forming hydrogen would boost alternative fuels. UC Davis chemist Dave Britt talks about work ...

Donors should have access to their own raw data provided to biobanks

2014-01-24
Scientists have called for data held in biobanks to be made accessible to the people donating material and data to them. In a paper published today in Science, Jeantine Lunshof and George ...

Researchers discover simple amoeba holds the key to better treatment for Alzheimer's

2014-01-24
Scientists have discovered the use of a simple single-celled amoeba to understand the function of human proteins in causing Alzheimer's disease. The new ...

Central Europeans already digested milk as well as us 1,000 years ago

2014-01-24
Back in the Middle Ages, Central Europeans were already capable of digesting milk, yoghurt and cheese just as well as us today. Researchers at the University of Zurich's Centre for ...

Generation blame: How age affects our views of anti-social behavior

2014-01-24
A study of interpretations of anti-social behaviour (ASB) found a significant gap between the views of different age groups - with older people more likely than younger people to interpret ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Announcing Mitra Bio as Tier 3 Sponsor of ARDD 2025

Study identifies global upswing in photosynthesis driven by land, offset by oceans

Study reports final clinical trial data for advanced kidney cancer treatment

Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in malnourished children under five years old

Study: Most US homes can save money and affordably weather blackouts with solar plus storage

The human touch of doctors will still be needed in the AI healthcare revolution, technology expert suggests

Helping me, inhibiting you: Analysis of interactions between intestinal microbiota

Hearing loss lowers prospects of employment and higher income for young Americans

Dramatically lower temperature, same high performance!

Trigger warnings fall flat, but safe spaces build trust in the classroom

Searching for a lethal needle in a haystack: synthetic opioid 1000 times more potent than morphine

Smart wound monitor poised to improve chronic infection care

Study reveals spinning could reduce NHS waiting lists for physiotherapy treatments

New AI tool illuminates “dark side” of the human genome

CCNY team discovers potential chemo-induced cognitive changes in cancer survivors

New mRNA-based therapy that shows promise in heart regeneration after heart attack

Extremists use gaming platforms to recruit - study

Nearly 70% of U.S. children in car crashes with a fatality were not using proper child passenger restraints, study finds

Understanding what makes some bladder cancers resistant to chemotherapy

Protecting your beating heart

The key to lowering your water bill may already be at your door

Saliva testing may reveal early signs of diabetes and obesity

4D images show heat shield damage goes below the surface

Hibernator “superpowers” may lie hidden in human DNA

Changes in diet drove physical evolution in early humans

Experts call for science- and evidence-based AI policy

Challenges in governing rapidly emerging marine-climate interventions

Slowdown in protein translation drives aging in the killifish brain

Behavior drives morphological change during primate evolution

Climate interventions to save our oceans need stronger governance, experts warn

[Press-News.org] Diabetes: We are in it together