United States: The latest study unveiled the stress hormone, Cortisol to have a central place in difficult-to-manage type-2 diabetes.
The University of Manchester research does throw some light on the fact that the stress hormone Cortisol, plays its part in the notoriously difficult to manage type 2 diabetes.
More about the finding
The researchers noted that about one in four persons, constituting 24 percent suffering from hard-to-treat type 2 diabetes, have been diagnosed with higher cortisol levels.
According to Dr. John Buse, the lead researcher from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine Diabetes Center and Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute, “These results are significant as they highlight a previously underrecognized factor contributing to the barriers when it comes to managing type 2 diabetes,” as the US News reported.
Know more about Cortisol
Cortisol is a body hormone which is manufactured in the adrenal glands which are parts of the body. The hormone impacts nearly all of the body’s organ and tissues and it has many important roles in carrying out basic activities according to Cleveland Clinic.
Of all those roles, cortisol regulates glucose concentration, metabolism, blood pressure, and inflammation.
According to the researchers, if cortisol levels are higher than the normal range, this leads to Hypercortisolism, which is characterized by weight gain, high blood pressure, muscle weakness, and a change in mood.
Aspiration of the above outcomes can also worsen all the problems in the management of diabetes.
How was the study conducted?
In this study, investigators enrolled more than a thousand patients with diabetes whose hemoglobin A1c was not optimal in spite of using multiple anti-diabetic medications.
In their study, the researchers identified 24 percent of the patients with hypercortisolism, as US News reported.
Higher cortisol levels were even higher among those diabetics who use three or more drugs to manage hypertension; approximately 33 percent of them were hypercortisolism.
In this group of patients, various types of adrenal abnormality were detected by CT scans, and about 25 percent of patients had adrenal tumors, the researchers said.
This implies that surgical methods meant to treat adrenal gland conditions could aid in enhancing diabetes control, researchers noted.
Their findings were presented at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Means presented at scientific conferences are in general terms and should be viewed as promising hypotheses until the data is published in a number of peer-reviewed journals.
According to Buse, “By identifying hypercortisolism in these patients, we can target treatments more effectively and potentially improve their outcomes,” as US News reported.