Obesity is a global pandemic and is cause of serious concern in all regions of the world. It is important to raise the attention of health care professionals in order to provide early treatment of ...patients with obesity. Obesity management, however, varies greatly amongst endocrinologists with respect to attitudes to diagnosis and treatment. Aim of this study was to identify practices and needs of Italian endocrinologists with respect to people with obesity.
In this study, all members of the Italian Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AME) were invited to participate in a web-based survey concerning the management of obesity.
The response rate was 24.1% (542/2248). Nutritional and obesity problems were reported as major areas of interest by 29.4% of the participants. A large proportion of patients seeking an endocrine consultation for other reasons are affected by obesity, but one in five respondents addressed the issue in 25% or less of the cases, while one in three always dealt with the problem. Obesity was managed personally/within a dedicated team by 42.6% of participants, while the remainders referred the patient to a dietician/nutritionist or a 2nd level center for obesity therapy. Metformin was used in a median of 30% of the patients (Interquartile range: 10-50) and liraglutide in 10% of the cases (IQR 0-30), while orlistat (median 0%; IQR 0-10) and naltrexone/bupropion (median 0%; IQR 0-5) were seldom prescribed. Cost of therapy was considered as the major limitation to the use of anti-obesity drugs, affecting adherence to long-term treatment. According to 41.9% of respondents, psychological support should be offered to all patients with obesity. Finally, 56% of participants believe that the availability of new drugs will increase the number of patients candidate to drug therapy.
In conclusion, it is of primary importance to raise the awareness of endocrinologists towards the problem of obesity and increase their confidence in managing this pathological condition.
Dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor and semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, have both demonstrated efficacy in glycemic control, reducing blood pressure, ...body weight, risk of renal and heart failure in type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this observational, real-world, study we aimed to investigate the efficacy of the combination therapy with those two agents over glycemic control. We thus obtained the data of 1335 patients with type 2 diabetes followed by 11 Diabetes centers in Lombardia, Italy. A group of 443 patients was treated with dapagliflozin alone, the other group of 892 patients was treated with the combination therapy of dapagliflozin plus oral semaglutide. We analyzed changes in glycated hemoglobin from baseline to 6 months of follow-up, as well as changes in fasting glycemia, body weight, body mass index, systolic and diastolic pressure, heart rate, creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria. Both groups of patients showed an improvement of glycometabolic control after 6 months of treatment; indeed, the treatment with dapagliflozin plus oral semaglutide showed a reduction of glycated hemoglobin of 1.2% as compared to the 0.5% reduction observed in the dapagliflozin alone group. Significant changes were observed in body mass index, fasting plasmatic glucose, blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL and albumin to creatinine ratio, with a high rate (55%) of near-normalization of glycated hemoglobin. Our real world data confirmed the potential of the oral combination therapy dapagliflozin with semaglutide in inducing pharmacological remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Sarcopenia is an age-related clinical complaint characterized by the progressive deterioration of skeletal muscle mass and strength over time. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with faster and more ...relevant skeletal muscle impairment. Both conditions influence each other, leading to negative consequences on glycemic control, cardiovascular risk, general health status, risk of falls, frailty, overall quality of life, and mortality. PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched for research articles, scientific reports, observational studies, clinical trials, narrative and systematic reviews, and meta-analyses to review the evidence on the pathophysiology of di-abetes-induced sarcopenia, its relevance in terms of glucose control and diabetes-related outcomes, and diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The review comprehensively addresses key elements for the clinical definition and diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia, the pathophysiological correlation be-tween T2D, sarcopenia, and related outcomes, a critical review of the role of antihyperglycemic treatment on skeletal muscle health, and perspectives on the role of specific treatment targeting myokine signaling pathways involved in glucose control and the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism and trophism. Prompt diagnosis and adequate management, including lifestyle inter-vention, health diet programs, micronutrient supplementation, physical exercise, and pharmaco-logical treatment, are needed to prevent or delay skeletal muscle deterioration in T2D.
Background: Tirzepatide (TZP) is a once-weekly glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent-insulinotropic-polypeptide (GIP) receptor co-agonist approved for T2D. TZP provides promising ...evidence in improving glucose control and weight loss in T2D and obesity across preclinical and human studies, including data from the SURPASS program. Aims: The goal of this paper was to review the evidence on TZP in terms of glucose control, body weight, and the progression of chronic diabetes-related complications and comorbidities. Results: The mean change in HbA1c ranged from −1.6% to −2.06% over placebo, from −0.29% to −0.92% over each GLP-1RAs, and from −0.7% to −1.09% over basal insulins. In SURPASS-6, TZP was more effective than insulin lispro U100 added to basal insulin in reducing HbA1c levels at the study end (−2.1% vs. −1.1%, respectively). Compared to placebo, TZP induces a significant weight loss: 7.5 (5 mg/week); 11 (10 mg/week); and 12 kg (15 mg/week). Compared to GLP-1RAs, TZP reduces body weight from −1.68 kg to −7.16 kg depending on the dose (5 to 15 mg, respectively). Compared to basal insulin alone rigorously titrated, TZP added onto basal-insulin results in the best strategy for the composite endpoint of improvement of glucose control and weight loss. In SURPASS-6, TZP compared to insulin lispro U100 in add-on to insulin glargine U100 reduced body weight by 9 kg in mean (versus weight gain in basal-bolus users: +3.2 kg). TZP has pleiotropic effects potentially dampening the individual cardiovascular risk, including a reduction in systolic arterial pressure by 4 to 6 mmHg and total cholesterol by 4–6% compared to baseline. A post hoc analysis of SURPASS-4 revealed that TZP, compared to glargine U100, delayed the rate of glomerular filtration decline (−1.4 mL/min vs. −3.6 mL/min, respectively), reduced the rate of urinary albumin excretion (−6.8% vs. +36.9%, respectively), and was associated with a lower occurrence of the composite renal endpoint (HR 0.58 0.43; 0.80). Conclusions: Consistent evidence indicates that TZP dramatically changes the clinical course of T2D in different clinical scenarios. The efficacy and safety of TZP on chronic diabetes-related comorbidities and complications seem promising, but ongoing trials will clarify the real benefits.
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