Booklet may aid blood sugar control

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – An 18-page booklet may help
diabetics get a better handle on their blood sugar levels,
according to researchers.

The manual gives both practical advice on how to check
blood sugar and interpret the test results, and how to
emotionally deal with the difficulty of keeping blood sugar
levels normal, Dr. Elaine C. Moreland of the University of
Alabama, Birmingham, and colleagues explain in the Archives of
Internal Medicine.

Among 199 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who had
been having difficulty with blood sugar control and had
consistently high readings, those who were given the booklet on
blood sugar monitoring started managing their condition more
rigorously.

In turn, they were more likely to improve their blood sugar
control, and they felt less discouraged by fluctuating sugar
levels.

Experts advise that type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetics
check their sugar levels at least three times a day, while type
2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetics should monitor their blood
sugar levels regularly, especially if they take insulin. Many
diabetics fall short of these goals.

For their study, Moreland’s team randomly assigned
one-third of their 199 patients to use the manual, while the
rest served as two comparison groups.

After six months, patients who received the manual were
checking their blood sugar more frequently — from an average
of twice daily to three times per day — and they were 10 times
more likely than “control” patients to increase or maintain
their monitoring frequency.

Moreover, 61 percent of patients who used the booklet
improved their blood sugar control, compared with 44 percent of
control subjects. Those who used the manual were also less
likely to let blood sugar highs and lows get them down
emotionally.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, March 27, 2006.