Can lifestyle measures prevent GDM?

12th October 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

We know from various diabetes prevention programs that intensive lifestyle interventions can be successful in reducing progression to diabetes. As GDM is more common in women with higher BMI and in the many high- risk groups and it is logical to ask the question “can we prevent GDM in these women?” If we could reduce progression of patients who has prediabetes to diabetes, we should, in theory, reduce prevalence of GDM in women who are at high risk of GDM.…

Hypoglycaemia in non-diabetics – is it a problem?

hypoglycaemia

27th September 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

We know that hyperglycaemia is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. We also know that in patients with diabetes, hypoglycaemia is also associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. What about patients who don’t have diabetes and have low blood glucose (<4.0 mmol/L)? I am sure we all have patients who do not have diabetes but on screening blood tests, have BSL lower than 4.0 mmol/L.…

GDM Screening – Can HbA1c replace OGTT during the pandemic?

14th September 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

We have many patients who have borderline high fasting glucose in their routine check-up. In non-pregnant adults, we have been able to use HbA1c as a generic screening test for type 2 diabetes (T2D) for some time. Unfortunately, neither non-diabetic fasting glucose readings nor HbA1c totally exclude the presence of diabetes. I am sure you have come across patients with non-diabetic fasting glucose and HbA1c but yet fail their oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).…

“Less glucocentric diabetes management” – what does that mean to you?

14th September 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

“Less glucocentric?”

Over the last decade, there has been a push for a less glucocentric management of diabetes. For some, less glucocentric means accepting poorer glycaemic control in our patients with diabetes. It was meant to direct us to not be fixated on managing glucose control without looking at other aspects of the diabetes complications.…

GDM screening – who, when and how?

14th September 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

Tell me this is not, broadly, what you have in mind when you think about gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We know that hyperglycaemia and pregnancy does not mix well. GDM is not quite full-blown diabetes in pregnancy but is nonetheless, associated with risks for the mother and infant and with long-term metabolic consequences in both mother and child.…

Do you know this giant lurking in SWS?

27th August 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

I first met him in December 2014 just before he started work at Western Sydney University in 2015. For someone who has just arrived in south west Sydney, I was most impressed to see how well he grasped the problems we have with the quality of care in patients with diabetes in our area.…

Medical Nutritional Therapy – why are you not prescribing it?

26th July 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

Whenever we think about management of hyperglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), we usually think about the most efficacious hypoglycaemic agent we can find (and on the PBS). If you look carefully at most management guidelines, lifestyle measures appears at the very top of the algorithm, side by side metformin. Sadly, it is often not the most prominent and usually, dismissed as an important part of the treatment algorithm.…

GLP-1 agonists – now we have 5

12th July 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

One month ago, we discussed Ozempic®(semaglutide) as the new GLP-1 agonist kid on the block in the treatment of hyperglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We foreshadowed that it will be coming real soon. Well, sooner than I thought. Ozempic® went on the PBS on the 1st July. What we didn’t know was what the restrictions will be when prescribing for patients with T2D.…

Diabetic foot ulcers – out of sight, out of mind?

29th June 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

diabetic foot

One in three patients with diabetes will develop diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). This typically occurs in the setting of peripheral artery disease, peripheral neuropathy and trauma. Foot ulcers invariably leads to lower extremity amputation (LEA) and both are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We know that poor glycaemic control contributes to the development of DFU and LEA.…

T1D & T2D – different beginnings, same fate?

28th June 2020, Dr Chee L Khoo

In type 1 diabetes (T1D), the β-cell die rapidly from a massive immunological assault and practically all the β-cells are quickly lost and hence, there is an absolute deficiency of insulin secretion. Using auto-antibody screening, we can define T1D. Do you realise that we don’t actually have a definition for type 2 diabetes (T2D).…