Perspectives on Diabetes Care

Health Facts to Stimulate Your Interest

Jun 14, 2012, 00:00 AM

Little did AADE know that when they asked me to be a blogger, they would be creating a monster. I LOVE trivia and so for inspiration for my blog, I clip interesting articles and quotes. I have stacks of articles and newspaper clippings held together by bulldog clips scattered on my desk. Some find their way into the drawer, but most are on the desk. My son was pretty firm the other day when he told me to start writing or he was going to call some show called “Hoarders.”  So listed below are some of the interesting facts I would like to share with you.

• Tire manufacturers recommend that tires be replaced every 5-6 years, regardless of wear.  Over time, rubber deteriorates and can cause the tire to fail. To find the manufacturer date, check the sidewall for a 4 digit number – the number 4610 means the tire was produced the 46th week of the year 2010. (“Hints from Heloise”)
• The leading cause of pet death is the accidental intake of their owner’s medication. One extra strength Tylenol can kill a cat. Be sure and look for those meds you accidentally drop. (Veterinarian on “Good Morning San Antonio”)
• Half of those aged 65 or older have the beginnings of a cataract. In those over age 75, 70% have the beginnings of cataracts. Cataracts can blur vision making it harder for the elderly to read their prescription bottles and insulin syringes increasing the risk of medication errors. (AARP)
• Almost 90% of type 2 diabetes patients with a BMI between 30 and 35 kg/m2 who underwent gastric bypass surgery had a remission of their disease and attained significant improvements in blood glucose levels and decreased use of oral anti-diabetes drugs. Researchers also noted a lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in many of the gastric bypass patients. (Study published in Diabetes Care and presented at the ADA 72nd Scientific Sessions)
• Older adults who drink coffee were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes and infections.  It did not matter if the coffee was caffeinated or decaffeinated. There was no association seen for cancer. (Study completed by National Cancer Association and published in the NEJM)
• Of 1,234 U.S. residents polled, 22% stated they skip breakfast, 93% of individuals age 75 and older ate breakfast and only 72% of those 30 and younger ate breakfast.  People who eat breakfast at home are more likely to have a lower BMI (less than 25) than those who eat food obtained elsewhere. (Consumer Reports, Nov 2011)
•  Insulin is a common cause of medication errors and is considered by JCAHO to be a high risk medication. In surveillance data collected from 2007-2009, doctors reported when they believed a drug was responsible for ER visits. Of the 265,000 drug-related ER visits, 1/3 of those patients required hospitalization. Warfarin/antiplatelet agents and insulin/oral hypoglycemic agents were responsible for 2/3 of those patients who required hospitalization. (Study published in the NEJM)

Hopefully some of these tidbits will stimulate your interest. It is easy enough to search for more detailed information on Google.