Showing papers in "Diabetes Care in 1983"
TL;DR: The purposes of this study were to identify diabetic persons at high risk of amputation for targeting preventive programs as well as to establish a baseline for monitoring trends over time.
Abstract: The Diabetes Control Activity has established diabetes control programs in 20 states. Each has investigated the extent and nature of diabetes morbidity within its state by means of a descriptive analysis of selected health status indicators. Data from six states are included: 100% of hospital discharges from Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Maine and approximately 50% from Minnesota, Illinois, and Ohio were pooled to provide a profile of lower extremity amputations (LEA) in diabetic individuals. The purposes of this study were to identify diabetic persons at high risk of amputation for targeting preventive programs as well as to establish a baseline for monitoring trends over time. Discharge data provided by hospital abstracting services were examined for 1976–1978. Results indicate that 45% of all LEAs are performed on patients with diabetes. An age-adjusted LEA rate of 59.7/10,000 diabetic individuals was computed. Diabetes-related amputation rates increase with age and are higher in males. The overwhelming majority of LEAs are either toe or above the knee, with few performed on the foot. The relative risk of LEAs for the diabetic cqmpared with the nondiabetic population is highest in the under- 45 age group (28), although the attributable risk is highest in the older population (91.5/10,000 diabetic individuals). Overall, diabetic persons have a 15 times higher risk of LEA than nondiabetic individuals.
610 citations
TL;DR: In 9 of the 14 national samples of diabetic patients assembled for the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes additional laboratory data made it possible to relate manifestations of macrovascular disease to blood glucose concentrations as well as to diabetes duration and to other potential determinants.
Abstract: In 9 of the 14 national samples of diabetic patients assembled for the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes additional laboratory data made it possible to relate manifestations of macrovascular disease to blood glucose concentrations as well as to diabetes duration and to other potential determinants. In five of the samples, serum triglyceride concentrations were also measured and were included in simple and multivariate analyses. Ischemic heart disease defined from Minnesota-coded EKGs and standardized WHO questionnaires was more strongly associated with serum triglyceride concentrations than with serum cholesterol concentrations, an association less notable in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Ischemic heart disease was not related to the single fasting plasma glucose estimated for this study. Stroke and amputation were much more strongly related to the known duration of diabetes than was ischemic heart disease, and they were both related to blood glucose concentration measured at the time of study. Despite major variation in arterial disease prevalence rates between collaborating centers, risk for diabetic women appeared to equal that for diabetic men. The major variation in arterial disease prevalence between national groups could be accounted for only in part by the risk factors studied. Other factors, genetic or more likely environmental, are likely to contribute to the variation in arterial disease susceptibility and, if definable, may be potentially preventable.
438 citations
TL;DR: It is indicated that reasonable metabolic control started before conception and continued during the first weeks of pregnancy can prevent malformations in infants of diabetic mothers.
Abstract: From April 1977 to April 1981, 420 deliveries of infants of insulin-dependent diabetic women were performed in our department. Of the infants delivered, 23 had congenital malformations (5.5%). The malformation rate was 1.4% for infants of 420 nondiabetic women. Strict metabolic control was begun after 8 wk gestation in 292 of the diabetic women who delivered 22 infants with congenital malformations (7.5%). Intensive treatment was begun before conception in 128 diabetic women planning pregnancy. There was only one malformation in infants of this group (0.8%), a significant reduction from the anomaly rate in the late registrants (X2 = 7.84; P less than 0.01). These observations indicate that reasonable metabolic control started before conception and continued during the first weeks of pregnancy can prevent malformations in infants of diabetic mothers.
430 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that simple bedside investigations, such as measurement of the VPT alone, may be useful in identifying those patients at risk of foot ulceration, and foot pressure studies may then be used in such patients as a predictive and management aid by determining specific areas under the foot that are prone to ulcers.
Abstract: The pressures and loads under the feet during walking have been compared in three groups of 41 patients each, using a microprocessor-controlled optical system. Group A consisted of patients with diabetic neuropathy, group B of non-neuropathic diabetic patients, and group C of nondiabetic controls. Thirteen patients in group A had a history of neuropathic foot ulceration. Other investigations in the diabetic patients included motor conduction velocity (MCV) in the median and peroneal nerves, vibration perception threshold (VPT) in the great toes, the valsalva response (VR), skin resistance (SR), and the ankle pressure index (API). Fifty-one percent of neuropathic feet had abnormally high pressures underneath the metatarsal heads compared with 17% of the diabetic controls and 7% of nondiabetic subjects. All those feet with previous ulceration had abnormally high pressures at the ulcer sites. Of the other investigations, the VPT correlated most significantly with the presence of foot ulceration. In addition, a low median and peroneal nerve MCV, an abnormal VR, a high API, and the absence of sweating all correlated with the presence of foot ulceration. We therefore conclude that simple bedside investigations, such as measurement of the VPT alone, may be useful in identifying those patients at risk of foot ulceration. Foot pressure studies may then be used in such patients as a predictive and management aid by determining specific areas under the foot that are prone to ulceration.
411 citations
TL;DR: Performance was less impaired during hyperglycemia than hypoglycemia when a longer interstimulus interval was used,although it was still slower than normal, and the possibility that some automatic brain skills are disrupted at altered glucose concentrations is discussed.
Abstract: Cognitive functioning was assessed in diabetic patients during hypoglycemia (60 mg/dl), euglycemia/control (110 mg/dl), and hyperglycemia (300 mg/dl). Blood glucose levels were set and maintained to within 4% of targeted levels by an artificial insulin/glucose infusion system (Biostator). Attention and fine motor skills, assessed by visual reaction time, was slowed at altered glucose levels. Performance was less impaired during hyperglycemia than hypoglycemia when a longer interstimulus interval was used, although it was still slower than normal. The time required to solve simple addition problems was increased during hypoglycemia, although reading comprehension was not affected. The possibility that some automatic brain skills are disrupted at altered glucose concentrations is discussed, while associative or inferential skills may be less affected.
233 citations
TL;DR: The diabetes-specific measures were generally more predictive of adherence than were the more global measures and the psychosocial measures were not directly related to metabolic control, but they were associated with adherence.
Abstract: Thirty-four adolescents (ages 12–14 yr) with IDDM completed a questionnaire assessing regimen adherence over the previous week and psychosocial measures potentially related to adherence. Four aspects of the IDDM regimen were studied: insulin injections, dietary patterns, glucose testing, and exercise. Psychosocial variables included (1) Social Learning Theory measures of diabetes-specific family behaviors and barriers to adherence and (2) more general measures of family interaction. Glycosylated hemoglobin levels were predicted accurately ( R = 0.68) from a combination of three adherence measures. The psychosocial measures were not directly related to metabolic control, but they were associated with adherence. Degree of adherence to one aspect of the IDDM regimen was not related to adherence to other aspects of the regimen and different psychosocial variables predicted adherence to different regimen components. The diabetes-specific measures were generally more predictive of adherence than were the more global measures. Implications and limitations of this cross-sectional, correlational study were discussed.
202 citations
TL;DR: The National Diabetes Data Group classification improved the clinical homogeneity of IDDM patients compared with “juvenile-onset” diabetes but had little effect on NIDDM relative to “maturity-ONSet’ diabetes, since essentially the same patients were included in both groups.
Abstract: The incidence of diabetes mellitus by clinical type was determined for the community of Rochester, Minnesota, 1945–69. Overall adjusted incidence rates per 100,000 person-years were 8.4 for IDDM, 80.1 for obese NIDDM, 45.6 for nonobese NIDDM, and 3.6 for secondary diabetes, using our definitions. Strict use of National Diabetes Data Group criteria would have reduced the apparent incidence of all diabetes by about 20% through the deletion of NIDDM cases. The National Diabetes Data Group classification improved the clinical homogeneity of IDDM patients compared with “juvenile-onset” diabetes but had little effect on NIDDM relative to “maturity-onset” diabetes, since essentially the same patients were included in both groups. Separation of NIDDM into obese and nonobese subcategories accomplished little in the way of defining two more homogeneous subgroups.
191 citations
TL;DR: Adjustments in the timing as well as in the amount of insulin administered preprandially may be used in the management of diabetes and that prolonging the interval between administration of insulin and meal ingestion may reduce insulin requirements and thus decrease the hyperinsulinemia usually associated with insulin therapy.
Abstract: Since little is known regarding the appropriate time for preprandial insulin administration, we compared the effects of 30-min subcutaneous insulin infusions started 60 min, 30 min, and immediately before meal ingestion on postprandial plasma glucose and insulin profiles in eight subjects with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Of these three regimens, administration of insulin 60 min before meal ingestion provided plasma glucose and insulin profiles closest to normal and permitted less insulin to be used. Our results suggest that adjustments in the timing as well as in the amount of insulin administered preprandially may be used in the management of diabetes and that prolonging the interval between administration of insulin and meal ingestion may reduce insulin requirements and thus decrease the hyperinsulinemia usually associated with insulin therapy.
174 citations
TL;DR: The blood glucose response to feeding 50-g carbohydrate portions of white and wholemeal bread and white spaghetti was studied and it is suggested that pasta may be a useful source of carbohydrate in the diabetic diet.
Abstract: The blood glucose response to feeding 50-g carbohydrate portions of white and wholemeal bread and white spaghetti was studied in a group of nine diabetic subjects. Blood glucose rises after white and wholemeal bread were identical, but the response after spaghetti was markedly reduced. These results emphasize that food form rather than fiber may be important in determining the glycemic response and that pasta may be a useful source of carbohydrate in the diabetic diet.
166 citations
TL;DR: The incidence of steroid diabetes correlated with steroid dose, age, body weight, and diabetes heredity but not with abnormal glucose tolerance or with another complication of steroid therapy, posterior-pole lenticular cataract.
Abstract: Risk factors and course of steroid diabetes were investigated in 145 renal-transplant recipients who were given a high-dose steroid regimen. Persistent steroid diabetes developed in 25% of the patients and transient diabetes in another 22%. When antidiabetic therapy was required, insulin had to be given in 50%. The incidence of steroid diabetes correlated with steroid dose, age, body weight, and diabetes heredity but not with abnormal glucose tolerance or with another complication of steroid therapy, posterior-pole lenticular cataract. There was no association with HLA-A and B antigens. Thus, steroid diabetes is a frequent complication of high-dose corticosteroid therapy and is similar to type II diabetes. However, it often requires insulin therapy.
165 citations
TL;DR: The results demonstrate that the effects of educational programs are of limited value if they do not lead to permanent changes in attitudes and motivation, which are critical factors affecting long-term diabetic control.
Abstract: The effect of patient education on diabetic control in insulin-treated diabetic adults was studied in 77 subjects randomized into two groups: intensive patient education (group A) and control (group B). The subjects in group A received intensive patient instruction, both individually and in small groups, from a team of physicians, teaching nurses, and a dietitian. The patients in group B received a short instruction course consisting mainly of printed material. A highly significant improvement in diabetic control was observed in both groups immediately after the education programs, with gradual return to the original level during the following 3-6 mo. No difference was observed between the two groups in any of the measured parameters during the 18-mo investigation. Factors related to good control during the study included the length of school education, the quality of the control at the beginning of the study, and the high degree of self-confidence and lack of signs of anxiety in the psychological tests. The results demonstrate that the effects of educational programs are of limited value if they do not lead to permanent changes in attitudes and motivation, which are critical factors affecting long-term diabetic control.
TL;DR: Results of a 3-wk double-blind study indicate that metoclopramide at a dosage of one 10-mg tablet four times daily reduced nausea, vomiting, fullness, and early satiety and improved meal tolerance better than placebo.
Abstract: 40 patients with diabetic gastroparesis. Results of a 3-wk double-blind study indicate that metoclopramide at a dosage of one 10-mg tablet four times daily reduced nausea, vomiting, fullness, and early satiety and improved meal tolerance better than placebo. Statistically significant differences were noted for nausea and postprandial fullness. Mean gastric emptying assessed by radionuclide scintigraphy was significantly improved in the metoclopramide-treated group when compared with their baseline result. Metoclopramide is an effective agent for improving the upper gastrointestinal motor function in diabetic patients with gastroparesis.
TL;DR: A method is proposed for the quantitative assessment of dietary adherence in patients with IDDM that relies on comparisons between individualized diet plans and actual consumption as reflected by 24-h diet recalls.
Abstract: Research on the education of diabetic patients in diet management suffers from lack of an adequate method for describing patients' dietary behavior. In this report, a method is proposed for the quantitative assessment of dietary adherence in patients with IDDM. The method relies on comparisons between individualized diet plans and actual consumption as reflected by 24-h diet recalls. Data are presented that suggest this method has reliability and validity. In a sample of 97 patients with IDDM, nearly two-thirds adhered to the number and timing of planned feedings, while only about 10% of patients adhered to planned exchanges, 90% of the time. The average patient added or deleted one exchange for every four exchanges in the diet plan.
TL;DR: Relaxation was found to significantly improve glucose tolerance without affecting insulin sensitivity or glucosestimulated insulinsecretory activity.
Abstract: Twelve patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were hospitalized on a clinical research ward under identical conditions. A 3-h glucose tolerance test and an intravenous insulin tolerance test were performed on each patient. Half of the patients were then given 5 days of progressive relaxation training after which all patients were retested while treated patients practiced relaxation. Relaxation was found to significantly improve glucose tolerance without affecting insulin sensitivity or glucose-stimulated insulin secretory activity.
TL;DR: In diabetic patients long-term treatment with timolol after myocardial infarction was related to a reduction in overall mortality, total cardiac death, sudden death, and nonfatal reinfarction, compared with patients in a placebo group, and it is indicated that long- term treatment withTimolol may induce slight carbohydrate intolerance.
Abstract: In diabetic patients long-term treatment with timolol after myocardial infarction was related to a reduction in overall mortality, total cardiac death, sudden death, and nonfatal reinfarction, compared with patients in a placebo group. The analyses were based on 99 diabetic patients in the Norwegian timolol multicenter study. The dosage of timolol was 10 mg twice daily and the follow-up period was 12-33 mo (mean: 17 mo). When analyzing all randomized patients, there were 14 deaths in the placebo group and 6 deaths in the timolol group, a reduction of 62.8% (P less than 0.05). The number of nonfatal reinfarctions was 10 in the placebo group and 2 in the timolol group, a reduction of 82.7% (P less than 0.05). With regard to inclusion rate, side effects, withdrawals, and timolol-related reduction in mortality and reinfarction, the diabetic patients basically behaved like nondiabetic patients. The data were analyzed retrospectively and should be confirmed by a prospective study. The study also indicates that long-term treatment with timolol may induce slight carbohydrate intolerance.
TL;DR: Diabetes patients with metformin-associated diarrhea had soiling of clothes as a problem, while at least two complained of frank loss of control over their anal sphincter, and in all who stopped this drug, diarrhea settled within 2–5 days.
Abstract: In a questionnaire-based survey of 285 randomly selected diabetic patients, diarrhea was found to occur in 8%; this was found to be similar to that in 150 nondiabetic control patients attending other medical clinics (8%). When the diabetic patients were divided into separate therapeutic groups, metformin-treated (with or without sulfonylureas) patients had a markedly greater prevalence of diarrhea (20%) than those not on this drug (6%). A majority of patients with metformin-associated diarrhea had soiling of clothes as a problem, while at least two complained of frank loss of control over their anal sphincter. These patients did not have autonomic neuropathy, and in all who stopped this drug, diarrhea settled within 2-5 days. Only 6% of insulin-dependent diabetic individuals (IDD) had diarrhea, one of whom had explosive nocturnal stools with incontinence and features diagnostic of autonomic neuropathy. Metformin is by far the commonest cause of diarrhea and incontinence in our diabetic clinic, where it is used routinely. In contrast, diarrhea due to autonomic neuropathy is rare.
TL;DR: A subtype of IDDM shares similar immunogenetic features with familial autoimmune thyroiditis, and similar human leukocyte antigen (HLA) locus types are associated with thyroiditis and IDDM, namely HLA-Dr3 and -Dr4.
Abstract: Diabetes mellitus not infrequently coexists with hypo- and hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism aggravates glucose intolerance. A review of this phenomenon reveals multiple mechanisms, which include increased hexose intestinal absorption, decreased responsiveness to insulin, and increased glucose production. Conflicting results are obtained when circulating insulin level is measured in thyrotoxicosis. The role of glucagon and a-cell sensitivity is unclear. Diabetes mellitus influences the assessment of thyrotoxicosis by falsely decreasing the blood levels of thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) during severely uncontrolled hyperglycemia. Hypothyroidism is found in about 3% of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Moreover, 13–20% of IDDM patients have elevated blood thyrotropin levels and anti-thyroid antibodies. Hypothyroidism per se seems to ameliorate hyperglycemia. A subtype of IDDM shares similar immunogenetic features with familial autoimmune thyroiditis. Studies of IDDM probands who show a high prevalence of circulating thyroid antibodies reveal the presence of such antibodies in their first-degree relatives. Circulating islet-cell antibodies, detected in a majority of IDDM patients at the onset of their disease, tend to persist only in those patients with coexistent polyendocrine autoimmune disease, including thyroiditis. Similar human leukocyte antigen (HLA) locus types are associated with thyroiditis and IDDM, namely HLA-Dr3 and -Dr4.
TL;DR: In a prospective study of 484 diabetic outpatients, angina pectoris was the only complication that occurred significantly more frequently in scleredematous diabetic patients than in a control group of diabetic patients without screredema.
Abstract: Scleredema diabeticorum is characterized by a dramatic increase in the thickness of the skin of the posterior neck and upper back. Of the 17 scleredema patients diagnosed by us in the last 15 yr, 16 have had type II diabetes mellitus. In a prospective study of 484 diabetic outpatients we found the prevalence of scleredema to be 2.5%. Angina pectoris was the only complication that occurred significantly more frequently in scleredematous diabetic patients than in a control group of diabetic patients without scleredema. Scleredema diabeticorum is a distinct cutaneous condition peculiar to diabetic individuals and ought not to be confused with scleredema of Buschke or scleroderma.
TL;DR: Exercise and diet inventories obtained at follow-up indicated good compliance to the program and indicated that the main difference between those patients who went back on medication atFollow-up compared with those remaining off medication was the percent of calories derived from fat.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term effects of a high-complex-carbohydrate, high-fiber, low-fat diet and exercise on 69 NIDDM patients. During the initial 26-day program, fasting glucose was reduced from 179.5 +/- 10.6 to 133.5 +/- 4.0 mg/dl. This decrease in fasting glucose was achieved along with the discontinuation of oral hypoglycemic agents in 24 of 31 patients and of insulin in 13 of 18 patients; one patient was placed on insulin. Serum cholesterol and triglycerides were reduced by 25% and 27%, respectively. At 2-3 yr of follow-up, fasting glucose was not significantly different from the value observed at the end of the 26-day program. Compared with the end of the 26-day program, seven more patients were taking oral agents and four more were on insulin. Exercise and diet inventories obtained at follow-up indicated good compliance to the program and also indicated that the main difference between those patients who went back on medication at follow-up compared with those remaining off medication was the percent of calories derived from fat.
TL;DR: Glycosylated hemoglobin provides the clinician with earlier objective evidence of the metabolic response to therapeutic intervention and can be regarded as an intermediate index of diabetic control.
Abstract: Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1) is widely used as an index of glycemic control in diabetic patients. However, due to the long survival time of erythrocytes (120 days), it remains elevated for several weeks after improved control. Other plasma proteins are similarly glycosylated, and as glycosylated serum albumin (GSA) has a shorter half-life (20 days), it should detect glycemic changes earlier. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), GSA, and HbA1 were measured weekly in newly diagnosed diabetic patients ( N = 12) for 8 wk after beginning treatment. After 4 wk, a similar fall in FBG and GSA levels, i.e., 72% and 58% respectively, was observed. In contrast, HbA1 fell significantly less ( P < 0.01), by only 39% of its initial value. By 8 wk there was no significant difference between the percentage reduction in the three indices of control. Therefore, GSA provides the clinician with earlier objective evidence of the metabolic response to therapeutic intervention and can be regarded as an intermediate index of diabetic control.
TL;DR: The efficacy of glucose counterregulation in a given patient may determine the degree to which euglycemia can be achieved with aggressive insulin therapy in that patient.
Abstract: Glucagon normally plays a primary role in promoting glucose recovery from insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Epinephrine compensates largely for deficient glucagon secretion. Glucose recovery from hypoglycemia fails to occur only in the absence of both glucagon and epinephrine. Perhaps as a relatively early feature of autonomic neuropathy, patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus commonly have blunted or absent glucagon secretory responses to hypoglycemia. However, this deficient response is commonly compensated for by epinephrine and glucose recovery occurs. In some patients, progression of adrenergic neuropathy to the point of deficient epinephrine secretory responses to hypoglycemia, coupled with deficient glucagon responses, leads to frequent, severe, and prolonged hypoglycemia. Thus, these glucose counterregulatory systems are of critical importance to patients with insulindependent diabetes mellitus. The efficacy of glucose counterregulation in a given patient may determine the degree to which euglycemia can be achieved with aggressive insulin therapy in that patient.
TL;DR: The newer therapeutic approaches are effective in the treatment of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, both ketoacidotic and hyperosmolar, and that they can be used safely and effectively in managing these metabolic derangements in diabetic patients of all ages.
Abstract: A number of changes in therapy of uncontrolled diabetes have occurred in recent years. These include low-dose insulin regimens, often routine phosphate repletion, more cautious bicarbonate replacement, infusion of larger fluid volumes, the use of hypotonic solutions in hyperosmolar states, and recently magnesium repletion. These modalities (with the exception of routine magnesium repletion) have been employed at North Central Bronx Hospital since its opening in 1976. Through this retrospective analysis of 275 cases of uncontrolled diabetes we have tried to answer the following questions: What is the outcome of all episodes of uncontrolled diabetes in a municipal hospital population with a uniform treatment protocol? What are the results of treatment with new modalities in various age groups? Are the causes of death different from those tabulated in previous reports? Our results indicate a good outcome in those under the age of 50 yr regardless of the diagnosis of hyperosmolar nonketotic coma (HNC) or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Mortality from DKA was 2% in those under age 50 yr and 26% in the older age group. Surprising was the low mortality in the hyperosmolar group with 0% mortality under age 50 yr and 14% in patients over this age. The major categories of causes of death in the series included sepsis, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), metabolic, cardiovascular, and shock. With the exception of ARDS, these categories were not different from other reported series. There were few thromboembolic events in this series.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
TL;DR: A clinical double-blind, random crossover trial of inorganic Cr trichloride, a brewer's yeast that contained Cr as glucose tolerance factor (GTF), a brewers' yeast extract without GTF, and a placebo on the basis of response of carbohydrate metabolism to treatment found no effect on carbohydrate levels.
Abstract: Diabetes mellitus has been shown to develop as a consequence of chromium (Cr) deficiency in experimental animals and in humans sustained by prolonged total parenteral nutrition. Prior limited trials in humans had indicated that Cr supplements, in either inorganic or organic form, may improve carbohydrate utilization. We report here a clinical double-blind, random crossover trial of inorganic Cr trichloride, a brewer's yeast that contained Cr as glucose tolerance factor (GTF), a brewer's yeast extract without GTF, and a placebo. Forty-three outpatient diabetic men received three of these supplements for 4 mo each. Subgroups included 21 ketosis-prone men; 7 ketosis-resistant, nonobese men; and 15 ketosis-resistant obese men. Chromium levels were followed pre- and posttreatment in hair, red blood cells, plasma, and urine. Response of carbohydrate metabolism to treatment was assessed in terms of change in insulin requirements, fasting plasma glucose, plasma cholesterol, and triglycerides, as well as change in plasma glucose, glucagon, and insulin or C-peptide levels in response to a standard meal. In some men, these parameters were also measured after i.v. tolbutamide. Both the inorganic and organic oral Cr supplements increased measurable body pools of Cr in hair and red blood cells by about 25%. However, fasting plasma glucose and lipids and the glucose response to either the standard meal or to tolbutamide were not significantly altered by any of the treatments. Despite this lack of effect on carbohydrate levels, the ketosis-resistant subgroups demonstrated a significant increase in postprandial insulin after treatment with the brewer's yeast that contained GTF.
TL;DR: Not one of the patients has been hospitalized for ketoacidosis in the subsequent 12–18-mo period, and their psychosocial functioning as adolescents is improved, and Hemoglobin A1c levels remained elevated.
Abstract: The medical and psychosocial findings concerning 15 adolescents with poorly controlled diabetes referred to a tertiary center are reviewed. While referring physicians usuallyattributed poor metabolic control to an unusual idiosyncratic pathophysiologic aspect of diabetes, all patients were managed by conventional treatment regimens. Psychosocial problems, including excessive school absence, depression, and social isolation were frequent in this population, and in eight families emotional factors appeared to contribute to thedevelopment and persistence of poor metabolic control. Eight patients accepted psychosocial intervention consisting of individual, family, and/or group counseling. Not one ofthe patients has been hospitalized for ketoacidosis in the subsequent 12–18-mo period, and their psychosocial functioning as adolescents is improved. Hemoglobin A 1c levels remained elevated. Psychosocial factors in adolescents experiencing poor metabolic control should be addressed.
TL;DR: It was found that the number of phagocytizing cells from diabetic patients was significantly reduced in comparison with that from control individuals, and protein synthesis was increased during phagcytosis in both control and diabetic cells.
Abstract: The phagocytotic activity of monocytes from diabetic patients and healthy controls was studied. It was found that the number of phagocytizing cells from diabetic patients was significantly reduced in comparison with that from control individuals. However, the number of bacteria phagocytized per cell was similar in both groups. Plasma from healthy controls added to diabetic monocytes did not cause any significant change in their phagocytotic capacity. Addition of insulin to the plasma of diabetic patients failed to alter the number of phagocytizing diabetic monocytes. Similarly, addition of glucose to control plasma did not affect the number of control monocytes capable of phagocytosis. Protein synthesis was increased during phagocytosis in both control and diabetic cells. The importance of monocytes in the defense mechanism of the organism is discussed.
TL;DR: It is assumed that it could be possible to prevent fetal hyperinsulinemia and perhaps even diabetic fetopathy in diabetic women by tight metabolic control during the whole pregnancy, but further investigations are necessary.
Abstract: Fetal hyperinsulinemia is assumed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetic fetopathy. To investigate the role of enhanced fetal B-cell mass as one cause of fetal hyperinsulinemia during diabetic pregnancy, we studied human fetal pancreatic slices from diabetic women (FDW) with poor metabolic control and nondiabetic women (FNDW) between 11 and 26 wk of pregnancy, morphometrically and by in vitro incubation experiments. Abortions had been performed due to different medical indications. We found a good correlation between the calculated B-cell mass and the gestational age in both FDW and FNDW, but the increase in FDW was much more pronounced. Such a correlation was also found in vitro regarding the insulin response to glucose and IBMX. The FDW had significantly higher values than FNDW of the same age range. In contrast to this, we found in two diabetic patients with tight metabolic control during the whole pregnancy results similar to those in FNDW. Therefore, we assume that it could be possible to prevent fetal hyperinsulinemia and perhaps even diabetic fetopathy in diabetic women by tight metabolic control during the whole pregnancy, but further investigations are necessary.
TL;DR: Subgroups matched for age and duration of known diabetes showed that the main relationship of hand abnormalities was to retinopathy in IDDM, but more to age andduration of known Diabetes in NIDDM.
Abstract: The hands of 299 diabetic patients with and 161 without retinopathy were examined forabnormalities. Almost all abnormalities were finger joint contractures resulting in limited joint mobility (LJM) and/ or Dupuytren's contractures (DC). Both LJM and DC occurred not only in insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) but also in non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM). In retinopathy patients LJM and DC occurred in 48% and 36% of patients, respectively, compared with 24% and 16% in those without retinopathy. These differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.001). The higher prevalence of LJM in the retinopathy group affected mainly those with severe retinopathy, there being no difference between background and nonretinopathy patients. DC was less clearly related to severe retinopathy. LJM was more severe in those with than without retinopathy. LJM and DC were also related to age and duration of known diabetes. Subgroups matched for age and duration of known diabetes showed that the main relationship of hand abnormalities was to retinopathy inIDDM, but more to age and duration of known diabetes in NIDDM.
TL;DR: This approach requires that diabetic patients who are at high risk for visual loss, and not under the care of ophthalmologists, be systematically screened, referred, and treated.
Abstract: Diabetic eye disease is the leading cause of new cases of legal blindness in American adults under the age of 65 yr. Diabetic persons are at risk for visual loss due to diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts. Better understanding of the natural histories of these complications and recent advances in treatment have provided a rationale for developing an approach to prevent visual loss. This approach requires that diabetic patients who are at high risk for visual loss, and not under the care of ophthalmologists, be systematically screened, referred, and treated.
TL;DR: The effect of injection technique on the absorption of subcutaneously injected short-acting insulin was investigated in insulin-dependent diabetic patients and the only significant finding was a faster absorption rate with deep injection than with superficial injection.
Abstract: The effect of injection technique on the absorption of subcutaneously injected short-acting insulin [125I-labeled Actrapid (MC), Novo, Copenhagen, Denmark] was investigated in insulin-dependent diabetic patients. In one side of the abdomen insulin was given with a fixed standard technique. In the other side of the abdomen the temperature of the injected insulin, the depth of injection, and the duration of injection were varied. Furthermore, we compared the absorption of U40 and U100 insulin by giving either 8 U of the two insulins or 0.1 ml of both insulins simultaneously to the patients in either side of the abdomen. With regard to the injection technique the only significant finding was a faster absorption rate with deep (12 mm) than with superficial (3 mm) injection. The absorption of U100 insulin was significantly slower than of U40 insulin, when given in the same amount (8 U) as well as in the same volume (0.1 ml).
TL;DR: Alpha-glucosidase inhibition provides a promising new approach to the problem of nocturnal hypoglycemia although a preparation that is safe for long-term clinical use remains to be found.
Abstract: Nocturnal hypoglycemia is common in the diabetic patient on twice-daily regular and intermediate (NPH or lente) insulin regimens because intermediate-acting insulins before the main evening meal produce "unopposed" free insulin peaks around 0300 h, food absorption having been completed much earlier. Fourteen insulin-dependent diabetic patients were treated for 6 wk with the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose, in a double-blind crossover study to see whether the drug would delay absorption of the evening meal sufficiently to correct the mismatch and prevent nocturnal hypoglycemia. On 200 mg acarbose (six patients), inhibition of carbohydrate digestion was so profound as to lead to midevening hypoglycemia with severe flatulence and abdominal colic. With a smaller dose of 100 mg before the evening meal (eight patients) there was a significant reduction in MAGE and MBG coupled with a clinically significant reduction in midevening and nocturnal hypoglycemic reactions. Alpha-glucosidase inhibition therefore provides a promising new approach to the problem of nocturnal hypoglycemia although a preparation that is safe for long-term clinical use remains to be found.