A study involving over 19.000 people with type 2 diabetes using eight clinically relevant variables including age at diagnosis, waist circumference and HbA1c levels has made a finding that could facilitate a more precise treatment of the disease.
The India-based study of people with type-2 diabetes has identified four “clusters”, or novel subgroups of individuals, showing distinct characteristics. The study, labelled ‘INSPIRED’, classified type-2 diabetes into clusters that provide insights into the factors that drive the disease in these groups. And this further helped in predicting the risk of complications and in focussing more attention on individuals with the highest risk of developing complications of diabetes, a note on the study said.
The INSPIRED study, published online in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care was a collaborative project between the MDRF and Dr Mohan’s Centre, along with Scotland’s University of Dundee.
Recently, a Scandinavian study had identified five subtypes. Pointing to the importance of the Indian study, Colin Palmer, Chair, Department of Pharmacogenomics, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, said that treatment in India was done on guidelines based on studies in a Caucasian population. The latest study could bring in a more precise method to treating diabetes, he said.
Advocacy Action: Does your health care system recognise the need for more targeted treatments for people with diabetes? Do the policies of your government recognise the need for a targeted approach?