Professor helps guidelines to improve diabetes care

A UNIVERSITY of Leicester-based expert has helped draft guidelines that will help improve global outcomes for a diabetes-related complication.

Professor Kamlesh Khunti was asked to contribute to the newlypublished guidance about chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The condition can develop among those who fail to control their diabetes. Consistently high blood sugar levels can impair the kidneys’ blood vessels, which leads to longterm organ damage.

The Kidney Disease International Global Outcomes 2020 Clinical Practice Guideline for Diabetes Management in Chronic Kidney Disease has been published online in the Official Journal of the International Society of Nephrology.

Professor Khunti worked alongside other worldwide experts on the document, drafted because the prevalence of diabetes around the globe has reached epidemic proportions – 450 million people are impacted by diabetes.

Professor Khunti, Professor of

Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, said: “Worldwide, the estimated number of people with diabetes and CKD has grown in proportion to the rising prevalence of diabetes itself.

“This has been largely driven by obesity, people living a sedentary lifestyle, an epidemic of type 2 diabetes, and an increasing incidence of type 1 diabetes. However, recent developments have suggested there are new approaches that can improve outcomes, which we’ve brought together in the guidelines.”

The document covers glycaemic monitoring, lifestyle and treatments, as well as approaches to selfmanagement.