A Randomized Clinical Trial to Compare a Strategy Utilizing Genetic Testing and Personalized Risk Counseling With Standard Care on Patient Empowerment, Risk Factors Control and the Risk of Diabetic Complications

Detailed Summary

The risk of diabetic kidney complications includes non-modifiable risk factors such as genetic predictors, as well as modifiable risk factors such as hyperglycaemia, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and proteinuria. Genetic testing for personalized medicine is increasing in popularity, though evidence that genetic testing can empower patients to modify behaviour and reduce clinical risk remains lacking. In this project, the investigators aim to utilize a personalized risk counseling with genetic testing to evaluate its impact on risk factor control in diabetic patients. The investigators hypothesize that knowledge of genetic +/- clinical risk will empower patients and lead to improvement in the number of treatment targets achieved. The investigators will recruit 400 patients with diabetes. All subjects will undergo a comprehensive assessment of the risk of diabetic complications based on clinical risk factors. Half of the patients will be randomized to receive additional genetic testing of a panel of genetic markers proven to predict renal complications in our population: ACE I/D, aldose reductase (CA)n and PRKCB1 gene polymorphisms. The results of personalized risk assessment will be communicated by a health counsellor in the intervention arm. The impact of testing and patient knowledge of the result of genetic testing on achievement of treatment targets (A1c, BP, LDL-cholesterol, TG, use of ACEI/ARB) and patient behavior will be evaluated after 12 months. The other arm will receive results of the genetic testing at the completion of the study period. The study will help towards developing a strategy to empower patients through structured and personalized risk assessment will provide a novel approach to identify high-risk subjects for early intensive management, and may lead to reduction in long-term complications.

Study Details

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Interventions