Monday, February 25, 2008 Dumaguing: Lipanthyl preserves diabetics' eyes By Dr. Victor Dumaguing To Your Health
DIABETES mellitus, if uncontrolled, leads to two macrovascular complications; heart attack and stroke and three microvascular complications; neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy.
Diabetic retinopathy has become the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in working-age adults in both developed and developing countries.
Visual loss results mainly from massive vasodilatation or opening up of blood vessels and increased blood flow followed by loss of capillaries and ischemia or low oxygen supply.
Leakage of protein and fluid from damaged capillaries leads to edema or swelling of the macula, the focal center of the retina, together with accumulation of lipid and protein deposits called hard exudates.
Laser treatment to photogoagulate the ischemic retina and leaking microaneurysms has been proven in clinical trials to slow down or prevent further vision loss from diabetic retinopathy. Although successful laser treatment is frequently associated with visual field reduction and other ocular side effects, thus any treatment that would reduce the need for the use of laser would be an important advance in diabetes care.
Raised serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentration have been reported to be associated with both the development and severity of diabetic retinopathy.
Although statins in general have proven unsuccessful in preventing diabetic retinopathy, previous studies of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha-agonists -- also known as fibrates, have shown beneficial effects on retinal and macular hard deposits.
The aim of the Fenofibrate Intervention and Even Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) study was to assess whether long-term lipid lowering therapy with fenofibrate Lipanthyl could reduce both macro and microvascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The study included 9,795 patients aged 50-75 years old with type 2 DM. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive fenofibrate Lipanthyl 200mg/day or matching placebo.
At each clinic visit, information concerning laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy was gathered. In a sub-study of 1,012 patients, standardized retinal photography was done and photographs graded with Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study criteria was to determine the cumulative incidence of diabetic retinopathy and its component lesions.
The results showed that Lipanthyl 200mg taken daily, in addition to therapies for the elevated blood sugar and other risks for retinopathy -- reduces the need for laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy.
For first-time laser treatment, Lipanthyl usage reduced the need by 31 percent in the general population. Moreover, Lipanthyl reduced the development and progression of diabetic eye disease by 79 percent those diabetics with existing retinopathy and by 34 percent the development of major retinal pathology in those without diabetes mellitus.
The over-all result showed an impressive record of fenofibrate or Lipanthyl in reducing the need for laser treatment in patients with our without known diabetic retinopathy; in decreasing development and progression of existing diabetic eye disease.
By now, we know that diabetes mellitus is not simply an abnormal-sugar disease. There are a lot of co-existing metabolic abnormalities, like elevated bad lipids. Thanks God, there's Lipanthyl!
