Diabetes burden

In collaboration with Professor Greg Snell (The Alfred Lung Transplant Unit), Dr Kathryn Hackman and Professor Bach have shown that lung transplant patients with diabetes have reduced survival (Hackman K et al., Am J Transplant 2014) and changes in blood glucose levels during a glucose tolerance test before lung transplantation predicts development of post transplant diabetes (Hackman K et al., Diabetes Care 2014).

Professor Bach published a study outlining the high prevalence of diabetes in Melbourne hospital inpatients, including The Alfred, Caulfield and Sandringham (Bach L et al., Med J Aust 2014). Patients with diabetes were older, heavier and more likely to be on lipid-lowering, antihypertensive and blood-thinning medications; the frequency of diabetes complications was very high.

The high burden of diabetes in Melbourne hospital inpatients has major implications for patient health and health care expenditure.