 patients need to be particularly careful during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

These patients have become particularly susceptible to suffering from more severe outcomes should they contract the virus.

While there is hope for that more protections in the form of vaccines could be on the way, there is still a need to do a better job of protecting this patient population.

 Stefan Bornstein, MD, Professor of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes at the Technical University at Dresden, explained what researchers have learned about the interaction between the COVID-19 virus and diabetic patients and what the best practices are for treating these patients.

Bornstein presented new data during the 18th World Congress of Insulin Resistance Diabetes & Cardiovascular (WCIRDC) Online CME Conference, sponsored by the Metabolic Institute of America (TMIOA).

Bornstein’s presentation focuses on the severity of the viral infections and hyperglycemia and uncontrolled diabetes. He explained it is still unknown why there is such an association between this patient population and COVID-19 outcomes.

He also said there needs to be better ways to treat the severely ill patients once they are admitted into the hospital.

Videos

Diabetic patients are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Stefan Bornstein, MD: Diabetic Patients During COVID-19

A pair of new therapies have emerged that could be crucial in treating patients who do not respond to or tolerate statin therapy as a 

—bempedoic acid and PCSK9 siRNA (inclisiran).

During the 18th World Congress of Insulin Resistance Diabetes & Cardiovascular (WCIRDC) Online CME Conference presented by the Metabolic Institute of America (TMIOA), Kausik Ray, MD, a professor of Public Health at the School of Public Health of Imperial College London presented new data showing the benefits of these new treatments.

Currently, bempedoic acid is currently approved in Europe and the US, making it the first cholesterol lowering oral agent approved in approximately 10 years.

However, inclisiran represents an entirely new class of drugs that targets a process called gene silencing. Ray expects this treatment to be available in both North America and Europe in 2021.

, how exactly these drugs work, what the current data says about their efficacy and safety, and how these drugs might be used in the future.

Ray said the importance of having new options available to reduce cholesterol is that many patients could need significant reduction in cholesterol, meaning combining therapies could be the right approach for many.

Dr. Kausik Ray presents new data on inclisiran and bempedoic acid as cholesterol lowering medications.

Kausik Ray, MD: Promising New Cholesterol Lowering Agents

Overview of Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic Arthritis: Comorbidities and Quality of Life 

Biologics and Advanced Therapies in the Management of Psoriatic Arthritis

The Purpose Of WCIRDC

The Forward-Looking Agenda of WCIRDC

Lipid and Insulin Therapy Discussion at WCIRDC

Multifactorial Sessions and Speakers

The Virtual Offerings of WCIRDC

What to Expect at WCIRDC 2021

The 18th World Congress of Insulin Resistance Diabetes & Cardiovascular (WCIRDC) Online CME Conference kicks off this Thursday morning, ushering in a new era of education tools and interactivity from the longstanding annual meeting.

As similar meetings had to resolve in this past year due to the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the four-day WCIRDC meeting moved to a completely virtual format for this year, bolstering its offering of archived, online-accessible materials for a litany of clinicians and specialists engaged in the fields of insulin and cardiovascular care.

Indeed, such a field is rapidly growing, and is evolving to include specialists associated from better understood patient comorbidities and risks. This year’s WCIRDC agenda reflects the sheer variety and reach of the insulin and cardiovascular care fields, now providing an additional day’s worth of content and insights to ensure everything is covered.

 spoke with WCIDRC Program Chair Yehuda Handelsman, MD, Medical Director and Principal Investigator at the Metabolic Institute of America.

Handelsman shared insights into the makeup of this year’s pivotal meeting agenda, the thought process behind key additions and new topics, the sessions which he is particularly looking forward to most, and what he could see the annual meeting applying from this year into its 2021 agenda.

Be sure to click through the videos above to watch Handelsman’s preview of the meeting, check out 

later this week for exclusive video interviews with WCIRDC presenters, and register for the meeting 

The TMIOA Medical Director highlights the best sessions, new topics, and growing discussion around the 18th annual congress.

Yehuda Handelsman, MD: The World Congress of Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Preview

A new atopy patch test could be useful in identifying hypersensitivity triggers for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

In a new poster presented at the annual 

American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2020 conference

, researchers found type IV allergy skin testing can be used to identify food additives and aeroallergens, in which avoidance of these allergens with diet/lifestyle modifications could lead to clinical, endoscopic, and histologic improvement of EoE in a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) refractory population.

In the study, the investigators conducted a retrospective analysis of 18 adult patients with EoE who underwent type IV allergy patch testing after not responding to PPI therapy for 8 weeks.

The investigators found younger men with an allergic background (66.7%) presenting with symptoms of dysphagia (66.7%), food impactions (33.3%), and/or heartburn (50%) were more likely to be included in the cohort.

The most commonly positive allergens found in the study were Fragrance Mix 1 (including cinnamyl, 25%, cinnamic aldehyde, 25%, gold sodium thiosulfate, 18.8%, carmine, 18.8%, and balsam of peru, 12.5%.

, Gaurav Ghosh, MD, resident physician, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, explained how the study could ultimately improve care for patients suffering from EoE who do not have much luck treated with PPI.

In a poster presented at ACG, investigators find a new patch test could help patients who are not responding to PPI therapy.

Gaurav Ghosh, MD: New Patch Test for EoE

Initial studies testing finerenone as a treatment for type 2 diabetes so far have been positive.

The nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist has shown the ability to half the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), while reducing the risk of cardiovascular events in this patient population.

However, despite the initial success, there is still a lot to learn whether or not this family of medicine can move to the front of the line for diabetic patients with CKD.

, George Bakris, MD, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, called finerenone “new to the party” and said it is expected to be examined closer in the coming years.

Bakris said while the medication family has shown promise, it is unlikely they take the place of SGLT2 inhibitors, which have become increasingly popular for patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD to reduce the risk of negative cardiovascular outcomes.

The data was part of the ongoing Finerenone in Reducing Cardiovascular Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial, which will assess the drug’s cardiorenal efficacy and safety in populations with type 2 diabetes and less advanced chronic kidney disease.

More studies are planned testing the impact of finerenone.

George Bakris: The Future of Finerenone as a Diabetes Treatment

 events, increasing the importance of drugs that can help with all 3 areas of disease.

Recently, researchers presented data showing finerenone reduced the risk of CKD progression, while also lowering the prevalence of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes.

In the past, short-term trials produced an association between administration of the nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist and reduction in albuminuria.

In the latest data, a team led by George Bakris, MD, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, conducted a double-blind trial examining the effects of the treatment for a median follow-up of 2.6 years.

, Bakris explained the results of the study and why finerenone could be added to the list of beneficial treatments for type 2 diabetes patients

Although Bakris said it’s unlikely that finerenone will surpass the use of SGLT2 inhibitors for this patient population, the early results do warrant continued studies.

Finerenone could be another option to SGLT2 inhibitors for this patient population.

George Bakris, MD: Finerenone Showing Promise Treating Type 2 Diabetes

The Misunderstood Physical Impact of Plaque Psoriasis

The Devastating Psychological and Social Impact of Plaque Psoriasis

Patient-Provider Relationships in Plaque Psoriasis 

Facilitating Disease Management in Plaque Psoriasis

Optimal Management of Plaque Psoriasis: Expert Nurse Practitioner Perspectives

l of dupilumab (Dupixent) for children aged 6-11 years has been an important turning point in the treatment narrative of 

. And, as any dermatologist would hope, promising therapies are just visible on the horizon.

, “Unlocking the Pediatric Dermatology Toolbox,” pediatric dermatologist Lisa Swanson, MD, of ADA West Dermatology, discussed the therapeutic benefit of dupilumab for her pediatric patients.

She lauded the biologic agent’s efficacy and safety within this population.

“I tell patients and their families, ‘this is a life-changer for [you],” she said. “It makes me feel better to be able to help these kids in this way.”

A side effect Swanson noted was conjunctivitis; however, she explained her 2-3 cases were mild and easily resolved with a referral to an ophthalmologist.

She also discussed new therapies and formulations that are emerging down the pipeline. For example, she noted topical tapinarof, topical JAK inhibitors, oral JAK inhibitors, and IL-13 blockers.

According to her, the immediate future looks particularly promising for these particular patients.

“I think the past 10-15 years have been the age of psoriasis, and the next 10-15 are going to be the age of atopic dermatitis,” Swanson stressed.

A pediatric dermatologist discusses dupilumab for pediatric atopic dermatitis in addition to promising new therapies.