Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) Practice Exam

What is the most appropriate drug therapy for a 52-year-old male with type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol presenting with elevated fasting glucose?

1. Add fish oil.

2. Switch to fluvastatin.

3. Switch to simvastatin.

4. Add colesevelam.

The correct answer is: Add fish oil.

Adding fish oil is considered an appropriate therapy in this scenario as it can help manage lipid profiles, particularly triglycerides, which is beneficial for patients with type 2 diabetes who often have dyslipidemia. Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to lower triglyceride levels and may have additional cardiovascular benefits, making it a suitable adjunct therapy for someone with concurrent diabetes and high cholesterol. In the context of this patient's elevated fasting glucose, while fish oil does not directly lower glucose levels, improving the lipid profile can be essential, as patients with diabetes are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Thus, managing cholesterol levels effectively is an important aspect of the overall treatment strategy. Other drug options listed may not align as directly with the complexities of diabetes management in terms of addressing both glycemic control and cholesterol levels. Fluvastatin and simvastatin are statins used to lower cholesterol but do not impact glucose levels directly, and switching between these two options may not provide a significant advantage in managing both conditions. Adding colesevelam, while it has benefits for cholesterol management, is less commonly used in practice compared to other agents and may not be the first approach for this specific patient scenario.