Diabetes Chest Pain

Good cholesterol drug probably helps control diabetes

Nearly 220 million people across the globe suffer from diabetes. Around 90 to 95 percent of them have type 2 diabetes leading to risks of heart diseases, stroke and other health conditions. According to a study conducted by the American Heart Association scientists, a medicine formulated to enhance proportions of good cholesterol supposedly helps to restrict blood sugar in people with diabetes who have been consuming cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The analysts came across this drug while going through data from a clinical trial on the drug torcetrapib that was ceased 5 years back. Torcetrapib is a cholesterol ester transfer protein, CETP inhibitor, a type of drug that increases amounts of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) or good cholesterol.

Around 6,661 people with type 2 diabetes also known as adult-onset diabetes seemed to show enhanced blood sugar control when they consumed torcetrapib collectively with statin medication that decreases low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) or bad cholesterol. On the other hand, participants who received a statin and a placebo did not see such advantages.

“The possibility that CETP inhibitor drugs may not only reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, but may also improve the control of blood sugar in people with diabetes, is an exciting prospect that may translate into real health benefits for people with diabetes,” commented the study’s lead author, Philip Barter, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., a professor of medicine and director of the Heart Research Institute at the University of Sydney in Australia.

The drug used in the experiment did not seem to work with diabetes like other drugs usually used for the treatment. Instead, it lowered the harmful influence on blood sugar normally observed with statin use. Inhibiting CETP apparently has the ability to prohibit diabetic controls from turning worse which is a common phenomenon with people taking statin medications.

The clinical trial was called Investigation of Lipid Level Management to Understand its Impact in Atherosclerotic Events (ILLUMINATE) where more than 15,000 people aged 45 to 75 participated. Their medical status included history of heart attack, stroke, chest pain, peripheral vascular disease or cardiac revascularization. They were all on medication to control diabetes.

The tests were ceased early in 2006 when patients who consumed torcetrapib and a statin called atorvastatin seemed to have more cardiovascular problems and deaths than those who were administered atorvastatin and a placebo. Scientists later comprehended that these difficulties were due to alternate effects of the drug, and not due to its CETP inhibition.

Chest pains in a healthy diabetic » Cardiac Assessment - Heart ...

My brother is 34 years old with Type I Diabetes. He is healthy overall and runs/exercises regularly. He’s had chest pain now for about 2 months, with changes in severity. He’s been to the ER, his family dr, etc. He’s had an endoscopy, stress test (scoring in 96th percentile), echocardiogram, CT scan of chest, xray of chest and heart cath. All came back fine. When he was at the ER, he was monitored for a heart attack, which came back negative. Along with the chest pain, he’s had pain that radiates to his jaw and shoulder/neck, sweating and weakness. This has taken over his life. He worries about it constantly. The most recent bout ended up with him as a direct admit to the hospital to have all the tests done (ct scan, cath, etc.). The cardiologist determined it is not his heart. If it’s not his heart, not a digestive problem either, then what can it be? He is not a hypochondriac by any means and has lived with diabetes since he was 16 years old. But we need to find out what is wrong with him. HELP.

With all the tests done, Coronary artery disease has probably excluded. There are other causes that not only include GE Reflux Disease (GERD), but also Esophageal spasm, which requires specialized testing probably not done in his case (symptoms can be very much like angina).. Another test to consider might be CTCA:

http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.

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