AACE/ACE Release New, Comprehensive Clinical Practice Guidelines and Updated Algorithm for Developing a Comprehensive Diabetes Mellitus Care Plan

Thursday, April 9, 2015 4:33 pm EDT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) today announced the publication of new, expansive diabetes clinical practice guidelines and an updated diabetes algorithm to assist clinical caregivers with the medical management of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).

The 2015 guidelines advocate for comprehensive control of diabetes beyond a simple focus on glycemic control to address multiple DM risk factors. The guidelines promote individual patient goals and the development of a personalized management plan. To that end, comprehensive clinical recommendations are offered for assessing and managing obesity, lipid disorders, hypertension, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, hypoglycemia and anti-hyperglycemic therapy to prevent complications; most have been modified substantially over previous guidelines.

The document also includes important information about vaccinations, cancer risks, and management of prediabetes, sleep disorders and depression among those with DM.

The diabetes management algorithm, first published in 2013, is presented as an illustrated treatment pathway companion to the guidelines and emphasizes the importance of medical and surgical interventions as primary therapeutic approaches in overweight and obese patients with DM, as well as in the prevention of diabetes in high-risk patients with prediabetes, using AACE’s obesity treatment algorithm.

The algorithm includes every FDA-approved class of medications for diabetes and stratifies therapy options based on initial A1c.

The chair of the guidelines task force, Dr. Yehuda Handelsman, MD, FACP, FNLA, FACE, adds that although the guidelines and algorithm are comprehensive in nature and cover the spectrum of DM management, the resulting recommendations should be easy for healthcare providers to incorporate into their medical decision-making.

“Both the guidelines and algorithm, while detailed, have been constructed in such a way, such as a question-and-answer format within the guidelines, to address specific problems in diabetes care in a concise, practical and actionable manner that will assist in developing patient care plans,” Dr. Handelsman said.

“With this updated algorithm, clinicians have a definitive, point-of-care tool to assess critical factors that accompany diabetes and its treatment,” said Dr. Alan Garber, MD, PhD, FACE, chair of the algorithm task force.

The two documents are published online at https://www.aace.com/files/dm-guidelines-ccp.pdf and https://www.aace.com/publications/algorithm and in the April 2015 issue (Volume 21, Issue 4) of the association’s peer-reviewed scientific journal Endocrine Practice.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Yehuda Handelsman, Chair of the Diabetes Guidelines Task Force and Dr. Alan Garber, Chair of the Diabetes Algorithm Task Force, are available for interviews on this story. Please contact Glenn Sebold at gsebold@aace.com or Mary Green at mgreen@aace.com to schedule an interview.

About the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) represents more than 7,000 endocrinologists in the United States and abroad. AACE is the largest association of clinical endocrinologists in the world. The majority of AACE members are certified in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism and concentrate on the treatment of patients with endocrine and metabolic disorders including diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, growth hormone deficiency, cholesterol disorders, hypertension and obesity. Visit our site at http://www.aace.com.

About the American College of Endocrinology (ACE)

The American College of Endocrinology (ACE) is the charitable, educational and scientific arm of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). ACE is the leader in advancing the care and prevention of endocrine and metabolic disorders by: providing professional education and reliable public health information; recognizing excellence in education, research and service; promoting clinical research and defining the future of Clinical Endocrinology. For more information, please visit http://www.aace.com/college/.

About the Journal

Endocrine Practice, the official journal of the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), is a peer-reviewed journal published twelve times a year. The Journal publishes the latest information in the treatment of diabetes, thyroid disease, obesity, growth hormone deficiency, sexual dysfunction and osteoporosis, and contains original articles, case reports, review articles, commentaries, editorials, visual vignettes, as well as classified and display advertising. Special issues of Endocrine Practice also include AACE clinical practice guidelines and other AACE/ACE white papers. Complete content is available on the Endocrine Practice Web site at www.endocrinepractice.org.

Contact:

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)
Glenn Sebold, 904-353-7878 ext. 122
gsebold@aace.com