Since the 1970s, C-peptide has been used as a surrogate marker for monitoring the progression of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and to determine the effects of interventions designed to preserve or improve residual beta cell function. C-peptide measurement is a well-established surrogate of residual beta cell activity and of clinical significance as it is associated with HbA1c, risk for microvascular complications and the incidence of hyperglycaemia in longitudinal studies. Measurement of C-peptide after a mixed meal tolerance test is considered the gold standard of measuring beta cell function in type 1 diabetes, but the method is laborious and inconvenient. In this issue of Diabetologia, Wentworth et al (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-018-4722-z) report an algorithm for estimating C-peptide (CPEST) based on six routine clinical measures. These do not include stimulated C-peptide measurement and outperform other prevailing algorithms for estimating residual beta cell function. Going forward it is very likely that this new algorithm will serve as a simple measure of beta cell function in routine practice and as a more acceptable primary outcome measure in future trials of disease-modifying therapies.
WHO estimates that half of all patients worldwide are non-adherent to their prescribed medication. The consequences of poor adherence can be catastrophic, on both the individual and population level.
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
Watch Dr. Anne Marie Valente present the last year's highlights in pediatric and congenital heart disease in the official ACC.24 Year in Review session.