Recent diabetes issues affecting the primary care clinician

Diabetes accounts for millions of office visits each year to primary care offices in the United States. Successful care of the patient with type 2 diabetes requires not only focus on glucose management but also on comorbidities such as hypertension, dyslipidemia and obesity which are closely linked to microvascular and macrovascular complications. Primary care clinicians must stay abreast of frequently published diabetes literature and new treatments to care for these increasingly complex patients. Metformin and its effect on B12 absorption continues to be an issue encountered by clinicians in daily clinical practice. There has also been recent discussion regarding the increased risk of diabetes with statins; data to date on this issue have been conflicting. Rosiglitazone continues to face public scrutiny and there are now Food and Drug Administration regulations regarding its increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Liraglutide and saxagliptin represent new treatment options for type 2 diabetes, increasing the available options for treating this complex disease. A review of the primary literature involving these topics is provided.