Patient and Healthcare Professional Satisfaction with the OneTouch Verio Reflect® Blood Glucose Monitoring System in the UAE.

AIMS: The goal of this study was to collect the opinions of patients and HCPs who used OneTouch Verio Reflect® in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). BACKGROUND: Blood glucose monitoring devices are essential tools that aid healthcare professionals (HCPs) in improving outcomes in people with diabetes. OBJECTIVES: To assess the satisfaction of patients and HCPs with the new functionalities of the OneTouch Verio Reflect® Blood Glucose Meter (BGM). METHODS: We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study that recruited eight HCPs and 100 patients with diabetes who had used OneTouch Verio Reflect® with OneTouch Verio® test strips for four weeks in four hospitals in the UAE. RESULTS: Around 98% of patients and HCPs declared their satisfaction with the new features in the OneTouch Verio Reflect® BGM. Participants' responses were not associated with the duration of diabetes (p-values >0.05) except for the Results Log feature (p-value=0.016). Patients rated Blood Sugar Mentor® messages, which include mentor tips, pattern messages, and awards, as the most important features, while HCPs rated ColorSure® Dynamic Range Indicator as the most helpful feature. Patients and HCPs stated that the "pattern found (high glucose)," which was the most frequently seen message, was the most useful message. All HCPs strongly agreed that the ColorSure® Dynamic Range Indicator helped them understand results and 98% of patients agreed that automated meter messages helped them to be more confident in following HCP recommendations. CONCLUSION: Patients and HCPs indicated high levels of satisfaction with the features within the OneTouch Verio Reflect® meter.

Adherence of physicians to evidence-based management guidelines for treating type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Ajman, United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND: Good adherence by physicians to treatment guidelines for type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) could improve therapy outcome for patients. In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, we assessed physicians' adherence to evidence-based guidelines for T2DM management in adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with either confirmed atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or those at high risk of developing ASCVD at the Thumbay Academic Health Center, United Arab Emirates (UAE). METHODS: Relevant data was obtained from patients' medical records, assessed, and compared based on the 2018 diabetes guidelines of the American Diabetes Association and European Association for the Study of Diabetes. RESULTS: A total of 218 patients (186 males and 32 females) were included in the analysis. Of these, 122 were prescribed either sodium-glucose co-transporter-2(SGLT2) inhibitors or glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and 34 were prescribed both. The overall adherence to the guidelines was 56%, which was significantly influenced by body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, and estimated average glucose (eAG). CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to guidelines was significantly high when treating patients with elevated levels of HbA1c and eAG, suggesting that physicians are more likely to prescribe SGLT2 inhibitors or/and GLP-1 receptor agonists to such patients. Physicians' adherence to guidelines was significantly correlated with patients' BMI and the levels of HbA1c and eAG. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study conducted on diabetes and its risk factors in UAE.

Ameliorating effect of erythropoietin in a severe case of COVID-19: case report.

The COVID-19 pandemic is arguably one of the greatest public health crises since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Although several vaccines have been approved and rolled out, effective antiviral treatment options are very limited. Here, we present a case of severe COVID-19 that failed to respond to the standard interventions and continued to deteriorate. On day 22 of his illness, after informed consent, the patient was administered 4000IU of erythropoietin (EPO) subcutaneously, in the hope of improving his O2 saturation. Positive response was observed in the patient within 24 hours. This prompted us to continued EPO treatment for a total of 42 days until full recovery and discharge. Our findings warrant further studies to ascertain the use of EPO in severe cases COVID-19.

Effectiveness and tolerability of second-line treatment with vildagliptin versus other oral drugs for type 2 diabetes in a real-world setting in the Middle East: results from the EDGE study.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic progressive disease that requires treatment intensification with antihyperglycemic agents due to progressive deterioration of ß-cell function. A large observational study of 45,868 patients with T2DM across 27 countries (EDGE) assessed the effectiveness and safety of vildagliptin as add-on to other oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) versus other comparator OAD combinations. Here, we present results from the Middle East countries (Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, and the United Arab Emirates). METHODS: Patients inadequately controlled with OAD monotherapy were eligible after the add-on treatment was chosen by the physician based on clinical judgment and patient need. Patients were assigned to either vildagliptin or comparator OADs (sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, glinides, α-glucosidase inhibitors, or metformin, except incretin-based therapies) based on the add-on therapy. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving a glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) reduction of >0.3% without peripheral edema, hypoglycemia, discontinuation due to a gastrointestinal event, or weight gain≥5%. One of the secondary endpoints was the proportion of patients achieving HbA1c<7% without hypoglycemia or weight gain. Change in HbA1c from baseline to study endpoint and safety were also assessed. RESULTS: Of the 4,780 patients enrolled in the Middle East, 2,513 received vildagliptin and 2,267 received other OADs. Overall, the mean (±standard deviation) age at baseline was 52.1±10.2 years, mean HbA1c was 8.5%±1.3%, and mean T2DM duration was 4.2±4.0 years. The proportion of patients achieving the primary (76.1% versus 61.6%, P<0.0001) and secondary (54.8% versus 29.9%, P<0.0001) endpoints was higher with vildagliptin than with the comparator OADs. The unadjusted odds ratios for the primary and secondary endpoints were 1.98 (95% confidence interval 1.75-2.25) and 2.8 (95% confidence interval 2.5-3.2), respectively, in favor of vildagliptin. Vildagliptin achieved a numerically greater reduction in HbA1c (1.7%) from baseline versus comparator OADs (1.4%). The overall incidence of adverse events was comparable between studied cohorts. CONCLUSION: In real life, treatment with vildagliptin was associated with a higher proportion of patients with T2DM achieving better glycemic control without tolerability issues in the Middle East.