MEDICUS FEBRUARY 2016

N E W S New test predicts heart disease in those with diabetes

WESTERN AUSTRALIANS WILL help determine the accuracy of a genetic test believed to be able to predict which people with diabetes will go on to develop heart disease, a leading cause of death of those with the condition. A $75,000 grant from Diabetes Research WA is paving the way for Professor Grant Morahan, the head of WA’s Centre for Diabetes Research, to put the test through its paces locally. “Together with international colleagues, we have successfully developed a test that can predict what people are at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Importantly, this test can be applied years – or even decades – before symptoms show up. This means that these people can be helped so that they can avoid these serious conditions,” Prof Morahan said. “Right now, people at higher risk are identified by taking into account risk factors such as smoking and hypertension, but Let’s talk about last year’s resolutions. Don’t let another resolution get you down. doctorportal Learning is the best resource to help you get on top of your continuing professional development in 2016. Log on to www.doctorportal.com.au, register now, it’s free for AMA members.

early research shows our test outperforms this current ‘gold standard’ method.”

The genetic test has been created using health information from the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland in collaboration with Dr Veikko Saloma. “In Finnish patients who had type 2 diabetes and were over 50 when recruited, those with a high genetic risk as shown by the test were more than three times more likely to have a cardiovascular issue such as a heart attack or stroke within 12 years,” said Prof Morahan. “It is critical we now validate the test’s accuracy in Australia, and this new grant allows us to do that by drawing on information from the Fremantle Diabetes Study and the Royal Perth Hospital Diabetes Clinic Survey Database.” According to Diabetes Research WA, another Australian develops diabetes every five minutes and the cost impact of it each year in the country is about $14.6 billion. ■

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