Professor given £2.2m to fund major diabetes research project
LINKS BETWEEN FOOT ULCERS AND HEART DISEASE STUDIED
LEADING researcher has received £2.2 million to investigate the potential link between people with type two diabetes, foot ulcers and heart disease.
Professor Kamlesh Khunti, director of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) ARC East Midlands and professor of primary care diabetes and vascular medicine at the University of Leicester, has been given the funding to launch the major study.
It is to look into possible links among those with type two diabetes and foot ulcers who then go on to experience either a heart attack or a stroke.
The researchers will develop and trial a healthcare package, MiFoot, to test its effectiveness in preventing heart disease and early death in people with type two diabetes who have had a foot ulcer.
The package will include one-to-one, group and online sessions with healthcare professionals. Participants will also receive advice on seated exercise, medicine management and mental wellbeing.
The research team will explore whether factors such as age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or geographical location might put people at higher risk.
The study is being funded by
Diabetes UK and the NIHR. Professor Khunti, who is also codirector of the Leicester Diabetes Centre, said: “We are delighted this programme grant has been awarded.
“We will be able to investigate not only the epidemiology but also develop and test an intervention to reduce the risks of these poor outcomes in a multi-ethnic population with type two diabetes and foot ulcers.”
To date there has been little research into how to prevent heart disease and early death in people with diabetes who have had a foot ulcer. Foot ulcers affect more than 50,000 people with type two diabetes in the UK, and these people are at higher risk of complications such as heart attacks and strokes, as well as premature death, compared with those who have never had a foot ulcer.
The Diabetes Research Steering Groups identified that the project fills a research gap. The group often pinpoints key areas where more research is needed to help improve the lives of people with diabetes.
Professor Elaine Hay, proA gramme director of NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research, said: “We’re pleased to be co-funding this new research with Diabetes UK, with its community of patients and carers providing valuable insight into what matters most to people with type two diabetes.
“Collaborations such as this between NIHR and Diabetes UK bring together diverse expertise and join up the health and care research ecosystem, helping us to fund research that provides the maximum benefit for patients and the public.”
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: “Type two diabetes can lead to serious complications, but with the right treatment and support it’s possible to live well with the condition.
“People with diabetes, healthcare professionals and researchers have told us we need to do more to prevent diabetes complications in those at highest risk and this research is a promising step towards helping more people with type two diabetes live longer, healthier lives.”
This research is a promising step towards helping more people with type 2 diabetes live longer
Dr Elizabeth Robertson