GLP-1 receptor agonists and their role in managing type 2 diabetes
Abstract
There are three components to diabetes care. These are prevention, treatment and management. Linda Nazarko explains how nurses are increasingly adopting a holistic model of diabetes care.
Until recently the focus in diabetes care was on managing blood glucose – a glucocentric view. This is changing to a more holistic model aimed at prevention, treatment and management through lifestyle interventions as well as medication. An estimated 5 million people in the UK are living with diabetes, most have type 2 diabetes which is associated with obesity. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented, treated with diet and weight loss, or managed with medication. The number of people with diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. To manage diabetes well and reduce complications of poorly managed diabetes, management of the condition can no longer be restricted to endocrinologists and diabetes specialist nurses. This article provides guidance on how glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists can be used in the management of type 2 diabetes.
Over 4.5 million people in the UK are known to have diabetes and an estimated 1.2 million people are thought to have undiagnosed diabetes. Most people have type 2 diabetes which can be managed in primary care until complications develop (McCombie et al, 2017; Diabetes UK, 2023). Effective management in primary care can enable people with diabetes to manage their condition well and reduce the rate of complications. This article, part of an occasional series on post-pandemic diabetes care, discusses the role of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) in managing type 2 diabetes.
The World Health Organization (2024) defines diabetes as a chronic, metabolic disease characterised by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which over time can lead to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. Since 1940, the number of people in the UK with a diabetes diagnosis has risen from 200 000 to around 4.5 million and an estimated 1.2 million people with diabetes remain undiagnosed (Diabetes UK, 2023). Figure 1 illustrates the rising numbers of people diagnosed with diabetes.
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