In the News... Misdiagnosed with type 2, Omnipod 5 approved for toddlers, Endocrinologist shortage and more!

It’s in the news! The top stories and headlines around the diabetes community this week include a new attempt to have fewer misdiagnoses of type 2 (when it's really type 1) diabetes, a new approval for Omnipod 5 down to two years old, a look at the endocrinologist shortage in the US, a milestone for Tandem and more!

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Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!)

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Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I’m Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days.
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In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population.
https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/
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New effort to avoid the very common misdiagnosis of type 2 when it’s actually type 1. JDRF and a a company called IQVIA are seeing if artificial intelligence can be used here. IQVIA used machine learning to look at data from individuals diagnosed with T2D and then, later, diagnosed with T1D within a specific time frame. The big problem, the company says, is that medical records are often incomplete and are compiled using different standards and formats. They call it a good starting point though. Earlier studies have shown that possibly 40-percent of adults with new onset type 1 are first misdiagnosed with type 2.
https://www.jdrf.org/blog/2022/08/11/iqvia-algorithm-for-misdiagnoses/

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New UK study about COVID, diabetes and kids.. shows there was an increase in new cases and in DKA. This was from March 2020 to February of 2021, compared to same time the previous year. This was a large study, looking back at cases across 49 sites.
There was a 17% increase in new-onset diabetes from Year 1 to Year 2, mostly of type 1 diabetes. ED visits for DKA dropped by 31.9% during the pandemic year among patients with existing diabetes. There was a 43% increase in severity of new-onset disease from Year 1 to Year 2, with severe DKA increasing by 79% (P < .001) and intensive care admissions by 89% (P < .05 There were limitations to this study, the biggest is that data was only captured for those who went to the emergency room. The question of whether SARS-CoV-2 can trigger new-onset diabetes remains unanswered.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/979381#:~:text=There%20was%20a%2017%25%20increase,by%2079%25%20(P%20%3C%20.
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Omipod 5 is now FDA approved for kids as young as two.
Omnipod 5, the first tubeless automated insulin delivery (AID) system in the U.S., was originally cleared for use in individuals aged six and older in January 2022. That makes Omnipod 5 the only AID approved for the toddler set. Tandem’s Control IQ ia approved down to age 6 and Medtronic 780G down to age 7
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220822005158/en/Insulet-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-Omnipod%C2%AE-5-for-Children-Aged-Two-Years-and-Older-with-Type-1-Diabetes
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Milestone from Tandem they say that in the first month since the new mobile bolus feature was released, users have delivered more than 1 million insulin boluses. The company said in a news release that it is the first-ever FDA-cleared smartphone application capable of initiating insulin delivery on both iOS and Android operating systems. The company added that it is now available on approximately 30 different devices.

https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/tandem-diabetes-app-insulin-bolus-million/

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What looks like an editorial in a publication called Stability Health caught my eye. It’s all about the shortage of endocrinologists in the US. Right now there are only 8-thousand in practice across the whole country.
Endocrinologists receive the lowest compensation of all internal medicine (IM) specialties — lower even than practicing general internists — and 76–89% of medical students graduate with astronomical debt.
Additionally, these clinicians often make themselves available outside of their office hours. But since this time may not be billable, it is often not supported in salaried compensation.
Separately (but related), in 2016, 71% of entrants to the field of endocrinology were female. Due to America’s long-standing gender wage gap, this may be a contributing factor in wage stagnation.
Roughly 85% of Americans with diabetes rely on a general practitioner for their care. I’ll link up the column so you can take a look.
https://stabilityhealth.com/endocrinologist-shortage/?fbclid=IwAR0jx-nSiOL2UccmoJ9H74SnC6l3M5CCppecGcQ2t2M_zc7U-ydOj4JxfQ4#:~:text=Today%2C%2034.2%20million%20Americans%20are,currently%20practice%20in%20the%20U.S
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Update on one of the CGM smartwatches we’ve been keeping an eye on.. the K-Watch Glucose CGM watch is being tested by a French Company. They had their first clinical trials last year and got results this summer. the first run had a MARD of 29-percent.. brought down to a much better 16-percent. MARD is of course Mean Absolute Relative Difference to a calibrated meter and the gold standard right now is under 10 with Dexcom and Libre’s next offerings closer to 8.. so a way to go here.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Painless-K-Watch-Glucose-blood-free-CGM-smartwatch-produces-positive-first-in-human-trial-results-as-PKvitality-targets-2024-for-availability.642380.0.html
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Back to the news in a moment but first..
The T1D Exchange Registry is a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. The platform is open to both adults and children with T1D living in the U.S. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. The registry aims to improve knowledge of T1D, accelerate the discovery and development of new treatments and technologies, and generate evidence to support policy or insurance changes that help the T1D community. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy.
The registry is now available on the T1D Exchange website and is simple to navigate, mobile and user-friendly. For more information or to register, go to www.t1dregistry.org/stacey
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Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists gave their lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu, former surgeon general of the United States. Many of you may know him as the Chairman of the Board of Children with Diabetes you see him at Friends for Life and other events. He’s been involved with lot of national diabetes groups and effort – he was diagnosed with LADA at age 55. He’s also been a guest of this show.. so congrats Dr. Moritsugu.
https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20220814/a-lifetime-of-service-a-conversation-with-kenneth-moritsugu-md-mph-facpm-faade?fbclid=IwAR2DyFSAyxCqeGMpmGHAi1FG1swihxFAPe-WveCaCP6NJrcUd0rFioBedQU
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Next week we’re talking back to school! The wonderful diabetes educator Anna Sabino from Finding Smiles coaching will join me to talk 504, remote monitoring, supplies and lots more. The long format episode out right now is with Patients For Affordable Drugs about the bill that passed the Senate this week. The insulin copay cap was removed, but what does it really mean for medication prices?
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That’s In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.