Delayed Treatment Negatively Impacting People With Type 2 Diabetes

People battling type 2 diabetes are being forced to wait an excessive amount of time for the treatments they need, according to a study published in the Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Journal.

“Clinical inertia,” a delay in increasing the medical attention patients need, is letting down people with type 2 diabetes - many of whom are forced to wait 3.7 years for increased treatment from the time they begin insulin. Researchers believe this lag in increased treatment can lead to type 2 diabetes complications.

"Of the 11,000 patients we studied, only a third of those needing further medication were actually given it,” said Professor Kamlesh Khunti, lead author of the study. "Clinical inertia is a global phenomenon, which is putting people with type 2 diabetes at further risk of preventable complications associated with the condition.

Earlier treatment needed

Researchers point to flaws by health professionals who don’t increase medication quickly enough to ensure better glycemic control for their patients.

“[This] is due to a number of complex reasons related to patient and health care professional factors,” said Khunti. “However, we need to make great efforts to reverse these trends and improve patients reaching tight glucose targets from diagnosis of diabetes."

Researchers claim that much more needs to be done to help eliminate the clinical inertia that hampers a patient’s ability to properly battle diabetes. When treatment is intensified appropriately, long-term complications and mortality rates could be reduced significantly.

Source: University of Leicester