Conjunctival flora in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are prone to infection because glucose in the skin, urine, mucous membranes, and tears promotes growth of microorganisms. Conjunctival flora develops soon after birth, and some saprophytic conjunctival flora play a pathogenic role when immune function is compromised, which can lead to serious infection. DM is one condition that may compromise immune status. In lacrimal function tests of DM patients, a decrease in breakup time (BUT) of lacrimal film and a decrease in Schirmer’s test results were seen. In the present study, conjunctival flora in patients with DM was compared with that in controls with regard to type and duration of diabetes and results of lacrimal function tests. Seventeen patients with type 1 DM (n=34 eyes), 66 patients with type 2 DM (n=132 eyes), and 50 control subjects (n=100 eyes) were included. The control group consisted of age-matched patients with no ophthalmologic problems other than refractive error. Clycosylated hemoglobin values were measured with highpressure liquid chromatography with the Hi-AUTOA1c analyzer (Kyoto Daiichi Kagatu Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan). Type and duration of diabetes and demographic data were recorded, and routine ophthalmologic examinations were performed; the BUT of lacrimal film was determined, and the results of Schirmer’s test were assessed. Microbiologic sampling was performed twice for both eyes with sterile cotton swabs. One sample was incubated in 2 mL of brain-heart infusion broth agar; the other was incubated for the presence of fungi in Sabouraud dextrose agar. Colony morphology, hemolysis, and Cram’s stain, as well as catalase, oxidase, and coagulase tests were performed. No growth was observed in 12 of 1 7 patients (35.4%) with type 1 DM, 28 of 66 patients (21.2%) with type 2 DM, and 25 of 50 control subjects (50%).Staphylococcus epidermidis (11.79%) andStaphylococcus aureus (11.7%) were the most frequently isolated organisms in the type 1 DM group, and Sepidermidis (24.2%) and Saureus (21.2%) were the predominant organisms in the type 2 DM group. In control subjects, Sepidermidis (22%), Saureus (12%), andCorynebacterium spp (10%) were the most frequently isolated organisms, and the number of eyes with growth of Saureus was significantly higher in the type 2 DM group than in the other groups (P<.01). Patients with diabetes are more prone to postoperative endophthalmitis than are nondiabetics, and preoperative application of antiseptic or antimicrobial agents to the conjunctiva may not sterilize the area. Impaired integrity of the posterior capsule may also increase the risk of endophthalmitis. Postoperative endophthalmitis is usually associated with gram-positive organisms (75%–80%); gram-negative organisms (15%–29%) and fungi (3%–13%) account for a smaller number of cases. A high rate of resistance to penicillin, ampicillin, and tetracycline was observed in Saureus isolates, although resistance to vancomycin was absent, rendering this molecule the most effective therapeutic option. In this study, Sepidermidis and Saureus were the 2 most frequently isolated organisms in patients with DM. It is concluded that the conjunctival flora in diabetic subjects differs from that in nondiabetic subjects. This should be considered preoperatively and postoperatively, and prophylactic and postoperative treatment should be administered accordingly to diabetic patients.     

HbA1c对糖调节受损和2型糖尿病的诊断价值

摘要：目的：评估糖化血红蛋白（HbA1c）不同cut off值诊断2型糖尿病（T2DM）的效能,初步探讨美国糖尿病协会（ADA）推荐的HbA1c诊断T2DM及T2DM前期标准对中国人的适用性。 方法：招募接受口服葡萄糖耐量（OGTT）试验且试验前未诊治为T2DM的志愿者338例,用高效液相色谱法检测HbA1c;以WHO标准诊断糖调节受损（IGR）、糖耐量正常和T2DM;用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析不同 cut off值HbA1c诊断IGR和T2DM的效能。 结果：HbA1c在诊断T2DM时,ROC曲线下面积（AUC^ROC）为0.954,最佳cut off值为6.0%,敏感性为92.5%,特异性为86.0%;当HbA1c为6.5%时,敏感性为64.8%,特异性为96.7%;当HbA1c为5.6%时,诊断T2DM阴性预测值为100.0%;HbA1c诊断IGR的AUC^ROC为0.653。 结论: HbA1c用于IGR的诊断效能不高;HbA1c诊断T2DM最佳cut off值为6.0%,此界值诊断敏感性较FPG高,但特异性较差;ADA推荐用于T2DM诊断的cut off值6.5%主要考虑到诊断的特异性,该诊断标准适用于中国人群。     

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes and incident hip fractures in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether postmenopausal women with diabetes experienced a higher incidence of hip fracture than women without diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A prospective cohort of 32,089 postmenopausal women residing in Iowa were surveyed by mail in 1986 and followed for 11 years. Diabetes status and other potential risk factors were assessed by questionnaires at baseline; incidence of hip fracture was ascertained by follow-up questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 490 hip fractures were reported over 306,900 person-years of follow-up. After adjustment for age, smoking status, estrogen use, BMI, and waist-to-hip ratio, women with type 1 diabetes (n = 47) were 12.25 times (95% CI 5.05-29.73) more likely to report an incident hip fracture than women without diabetes. Women with type 2 diabetes had a 1.70-fold higher risk (1.21-2.38) of incident hip fracture than women without diabetes. Longer duration of type 2 diabetes was associated with higher incidence, as was use of insulin or oral diabetes medications in women with type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, women who were initially free of diabetes but in whom diabetes developed had a relative risk of hip fracture of 1.60 (1.14-2.25) compared with women who never had diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Postmenopausal women who have diabetes or in whom diabetes develops are at higher risk for hip fracture than nondiabetic postmenopausal women. Strategies to prevent osteoporosis and/or falling may be especially warranted in women with diabetes.     

Association between maternal diabetes in utero and age at offspring's diagnosis of type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE—The purpose of this study was to examine age of diabetes diagnosis in youth who have a parent with diabetes by diabetes type and whether the parent''s diabetes was diagnosed before or after the youth''s birth.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The cohort comprised SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study participants (diabetes diagnosis 2001–2005) with a diabetic parent. SEARCH is a multicenter survey of youth with diabetes diagnosed before age 20 years.RESULTS—Youth with type 2 diabetes were more likely to have a parent with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes (mother 39.3%; father 21.2%) than youth with type 1 diabetes (5.3 and 6.7%, respectively, P < 0.001 for each). Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed 1.68 years earlier among those exposed to diabetes in utero (n = 174) than among those whose mothers’ diabetes was diagnosed later (P = 0.018, controlled for maternal diagnosis age, paternal diabetes, sex, and race/ethnicity). Age at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes for 269 youth with and without in utero exposure did not differ significantly (difference 0.96 year, P = 0.403 after adjustment). Controlled for the father''s age of diagnosis, father''s diabetes before the child''s birth was not associated with age at diagnosis (P = 0.078 for type 1 diabetes; P = 0.140 for type 2 diabetes).CONCLUSIONS—Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed at younger ages among those exposed to hyperglycemia in utero. Among youth with type 1 diabetes, the effect of the intrauterine exposure was not significant when controlled for mother''s age of diagnosis. This study helps explain why other studies have found higher age-specific rates of type 2 diabetes among offspring of women with diabetes.Fetal exposure to maternal hyperglycemia can cause permanent fetal changes, leading to malformations, increased birth weight (1), and an increased risk of obesity (2,3), cardiovascular disease, hypertension (4), and type 2 diabetes (5,6). Animal studies demonstrate that metabolic imprinting caused by the diabetic intrauterine environment can be transmitted across generations (7–9). In humans, excess maternal transmission of type 2 diabetes (10,11) supports the hypothesis that the intrauterine environment, independent of genetic transmission, contributes to increased risk of type 2 diabetes in offspring. Pima Indian women with diabetes during pregnancy and their offspring have been followed prospectively to examine the effects of in utero exposure to diabetes on the development of type 2 diabetes in the offspring (12). More diabetes developed in offspring exposed to diabetes in utero than in the offspring of women who developed diabetes after the pregnancy or who never developed diabetes (5,13,14). Recently, Clausen et al. (6) have found higher rates of abnormal glucose tolerance in offspring of women with gestational diabetes (21%) or type 1 diabetes (11%) than in the background population (4%). Similarly, in 10- to 16-year-old offspring of women with pregestational and gestational diabetes, Silverman et al. (15) found a higher prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance (19.3%) than in age- and sex-matched control subjects (2.5%). Stride et al. (16) have shown that individuals with maturity-onset diabetes of the young resulting from mutations in the HNF-1α gene (MODY-3) who inherit the MODY from their mothers develop diabetes at a younger age if their mother''s diabetes was diagnosed before the pregnancy rather than after. These reports suggest that, even in single-gene disorders such as MODY-3, nongenetic factors influence the course of disease development.Whether higher rates of type 2 diabetes associated with diabetes in utero result from diabetes developing at an earlier age or whether exposure to diabetes in utero is associated with an earlier age at onset of diabetes in youth of racial/ethnic groups other than American Indians is largely unknown. The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study, a large, population-based study of diabetes in racially and ethnically diverse youth, tested the following hypotheses. First, age of diagnosis of diabetes in youth with type 2 diabetes will be younger if mothers had diabetes diagnosed before pregnancy and will not be associated with timing of father''s diabetes when controlled for paternal age at diagnosis. Second, age at diagnosis in youth with type 1 diabetes will not be associated with timing of maternal or paternal diabetes.     

Novel routes of insulin delivery for patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes

Subcutaneous insulin has been used to treat diabetes since the 1920s; however, despite a number of different formulations, intensive insulin therapy with multiple daily injections has not gained widespread clinical acceptance. Attempts to find effective, well-tolerated, nonenteral routes for delivering insulin began in the 1920s, and, over the years, have included ocular, buccal, rectal, vaginal, oral, nasal and uterine delivery systems. Until recently, many researchers believed that insulin delivered noninvasively was associated with too low a bioavailability to offer a realistic clinical approach. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that inhaled insulin is an effective, well-tolerated, noninvasive alternative to subcutaneous regular insulin. Critically, inhaled insulin shows a more physiological insulin profile than that seen with conventional insulin. Further studies are needed to confirm long-term efficacy and pulmonary safety, to compare the different approaches, and to characterize better their relative places in practice. As a result of the recognition of the importance of tighter control of glycaemia and the growing number of patients with type 2 diabetes who receive insulin, inhaled insulin could become an increasingly integral part of managing diabetes.     

Elevated serum alanine transaminase in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: The risk of chronic liver disease is higher in diabetics, and serum alanine transaminase (ALT) is a sensitive predictor of mortality from liver disease. AIM: To estimate the prevalence of elevated ALT in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and identify possible risk factors. METHODS: We identified all patients (n = 2077) attending review between September 2002 and August 2003. We excluded those with no ALT measurement (n = 73); those whose alcohol consumption was >14 units/week (women) (n = 276) or >21 units/week (men) (n = 324); and those with a diagnosis of Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young, secondary diabetes, gestational diabetes or uncertain type of diabetes (n = 51). We calculated the prevalences of elevated ALT in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients, and compared the demographic, microvascular risk factors and current drug use between each group using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 1353 patients included, 836 (61.9%) had type 2 diabetes. Elevated ALT was found in 9.5% (95%CI 7.1-12.3%) of patients with type 1 diabetes, and 12.1% (95%CI 9.9-14.5%) of those with type 2 diabetes. The risk of elevated ALT in patients with type 2 diabetes increased with increasing body mass index (p(trend) = 0.04), and was lower in those taking insulin (OR 0.38, 95%CI 0.22-0.65). DISCUSSION: The prevalence of elevated ALT is 3-4 times higher in patients with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes than in the general population. Further studies investigating the aetiology and mechanisms of this elevation may suggest appropriate early interventions.     

Weight-loss practices and weight-related issues among youth with type 1 or type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE—The purpose of this study was to describe the weight-loss practices and weight-related issues reported by youth with diabetes, according to sex and diabetes type.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A total of 1,742 female and 1,615 male youth aged 10–21 years with type 1 or type 2 diabetes completed a SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study visit during which height, weight, and A1C were measured. A survey assessed weight-related issues and weight-loss practices.RESULTS—Although more common in youth with type 2 diabetes, youth with type 1 diabetes also reported weight-related concerns and had elevated BMI. Among youth who had ever tried to lose weight (n = 1,646), healthy weight-loss practices (diet [76.5%] and exercise [94.8%]) were the most common, whereas unhealthy practices (fasting [8.6%], using diet aids [7.5%], vomiting or laxative use [2.3%], and skipping insulin doses [4.2%]) were less common. In sex-specific multivariable models including age, race/ethnicity, diabetes type, BMI category, and glycemic control, obese females and overweight/obese males were more likely to report ever practicing any unhealthy weight-loss practice than normal-weight youth. These practices were associated with poor glycemic control for female but not male subjects. All unhealthy weight-loss practices except fasting were more common in female than in male subjects. Dieting, fasting, and using diet aids were all more common in youth with type 2 diabetes than in those with type 1 diabetes.CONCLUSIONS—Given the prevalence of overweight and obesity among youth with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, health care professionals caring for youth with diabetes need to pay particular attention to identifying youth, particularly females, with unhealthy weight-loss practices.Diabetes is one of the three most prevalent chronic diseases of youth (1), with the majority of affected youth having type 1 diabetes (2). However, type 2 diabetes is being diagnosed more frequently in youth than has been reported in previous decades (2–4). Although youth with type 2 diabetes are likely to be overweight or obese, the increase in overweight in the U.S. population is mirrored among youth with type 1 diabetes (5,6). Strategies used to lose or manage weight include those that are healthy, such as regular physical activity and consuming a healthy diet, as well as those that are unhealthy, such as using over-the-counter diet aids without physician''s advice, fasting, taking laxatives or diuretics, and vomiting. In 2005, 12.3% of 9th to 12th graders went without eating for at least 24 hours, 6.3% used diet pills, powders, or liquids, and 4.5% vomited or took laxatives to maintain or lose weight (7). Females were significantly more likely than males to use these unhealthy strategies; some racial/ethnic differences were observed.Certain features of diabetes and its management, including weight gain after the initiation of insulin treatment, dietary restraint, and the knowledge that withholding insulin can cause weight loss, may trigger eating disturbances in youth with type 1 diabetes (8). Eating disorders have been associated with poor metabolic control and microvascular complications in type 1 diabetic youth (9–12). There is limited information about weight-related concerns among youth with type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends that youth with type 2 diabetes implement lifestyle modifications to reduce their intake of high-fat, high-energy foods and to increase physical activity to optimize glycemic control as well as their cardiovascular risk profile, including their lipid levels and blood pressure (13). At the same time, medical nutrition therapy must take in to account the nutritional needs required to support normal growth and development during childhood and adolescence (13,14). In this article, we describe the approaches to healthy and unhealthy weight-loss practices reported by youth with type 1 or type 2 diabetes by sex. In addition, we explore the associations between any unhealthy weight-loss practice, body weight perception, weight management goal, and worry about weight and glycemic control among youth with type 1 or type 2 diabetes by sex.     

Factors influencing the ability to self-manage diabetes for adults living with type 1 or 2 diabetes

Background

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common non-communicable long-term conditions in the world and is linked to high mortality, morbidity, loss of quality of life and high social and economic cost. Diabetes presents a serious health challenge, as it is a significant cause of ill health and premature death. Identification of barriers to self-care is critical for finding ways to reduce the adverse effects of this long-term condition.

Objective

This review identified issues that influence ability to self-care for adults living with diabetes types 1 or 2.

Design

A systematic review of qualitative research studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) approach.

Data sources

An electronic search of Health Sciences databases for primary published qualitative studies was conducted April 2011. Reference lists of included articles were reviewed to identify other potential papers.

Review methods

Studies that investigated issues identified by individuals living with diabetes type 1 or 2 that influenced ability to self-care were analysed using a process of meta-aggregation. Meta-aggregation involves the extraction of findings, the synthesis of findings through grouping or aggregating similar findings into themes and labelling with appropriate names and a statement that defines the theme and meta-aggregating the themes into overarching syntheses. Methodological quality was assessed by two reviewers against the JBI quality appraisal criteria for qualitative studies.

Results

Thirty-seven qualitative studies were reviewed. The main issues impacting on an individual's ability to self-care were ‘communication’, ‘education’, ‘personal factors’, ‘provider issues’ and ‘support’. Multiple barriers were found to influence the day-to-day management of diabetes. Key issues related to communication with health care providers, an education programme that allowed for incremental knowledge gain and experiential and vicarious learning and the provision of culturally sensitive care.

Conclusions

People living with diabetes face many issues in their day-to-day management of the disease, compounded by vulnerability to wider situational, cultural and social issues. Self-care ability is a dynamic, evolutionary process that varies from person to person and involves moving from a disease focused existence to maximising life.     

Effect of parental type 2 diabetes on offspring with type 1 diabetes

OBJECTIVE—The purpose of this study was to study the association between a parental history of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic profile as well as the presence of the metabolic syndrome and diabetes complications in patients with type 1 diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—This was a cross-sectional study design in 1,860 patients with type 1 diabetes from the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy (FinnDiane) Study (620 patients with and 1,240 age-matched patients without a parental history of type 2 diabetes). Information on parental history was received from the type 1 diabetic offspring by a standardized questionnaire.RESULTS—Patients with type 1 diabetes and a positive parental history of type 2 diabetes had a higher prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (44 vs. 38%; P = 0.013) and a metabolic profile related to insulin resistance (higher BMI, larger waist circumference, and higher triglycerides, A1C, and insulin dose per kilogram) and also had a later onset of type 1 diabetes (17.2 ± 9.2 vs. 16.1 ± 8.9 years; P = 0.008), which was also confirmed in the publicly available Diabetes Control and Complications Trial data set. In contrast, no association was observed with blood pressure, diabetes complications, or HLA genotype distribution. Parental history of type 2 diabetes was independently associated with age at onset of type 1 diabetes (odds ratio 1.02 [95% CI 1.01–1.03]), BMI (1.07 [1.02–1.12]), triglycerides (1.18 [1.03–1.35]), and insulin dose per kilogram (1.63 [1.04–2.54]).CONCLUSIONS—Parental history of type 2 diabetes is associated with a later onset of type 1 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, and a metabolic profile related to insulin resistance.Patients with type 1 diabetes have an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This risk is to a large extent explained by the high cardiovascular risk attributed to diabetic nephropathy, but even patients without nephropathy have a fourfold increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared with individuals without diabetes (1). The metabolic syndrome, a constellation of cardiovascular risk factors (2), is itself a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in the general population (3). It is noteworthy that metabolic syndrome is also a common finding in patients with type 1 diabetes (4), but its role as a cardiovascular risk factor in patients with type 1 diabetes is less clear (5).The rapidly growing worldwide epidemic of type 2 diabetes has been explained by obesity and the sedentary lifestyle of humans in modernity. Although such environmental factors are undoubtedly important, familial factors also seem to play a major role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Consequently, offspring of a parent with diabetes have a lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes of 40%, and when both parents have type 2 diabetes, the risk is even higher (6). It is also of note that even in families with a patient with type 1 diabetes, there is a higher proportion of relatives with type 2 diabetes (7). The fact that type 1 and type 2 diabetes cluster in families suggests that some patients may even have a “double form” of diabetes. However, so far there are no diagnostic procedures to find out whether a patient has had “two hits,” but this may be shown through a metabolic profile that is related to insulin resistance and features of the metabolic syndrome in patients with type 1 diabetes.However, data on the consequences of a family history of type 2 diabetes on the offspring with type 1 diabetes are still scarce. Some support of an effect of type 2 diabetes is provided by the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), in which improvement of glycemic control in the intensive treatment arm led to an increase in weight gain that was greatest in those with a positive family history of type 2 diabetes (8). Consequently, we hypothesized that parental history of type 2 diabetes may be associated with a metabolic profile related to insulin resistance, the metabolic syndrome, and the presence of late diabetes complications in patients with type 1 diabetes.     

Pharmacologic interventions for type 1 and type 2 diabetes

A variety of pharmacologic interventions are available to treat people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This article provides an update of pharmacologic interventions for diabetes, including a discussion of the drug classifications with specific examples of each, and their background, dosing, and side effects. Combination therapy is reviewed, and information is provided on two new therapeutic classes of diabetes medications: incretin mimetics and antihyperglycemics.     

Bone mineral density in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and insulin treatment on bone mineral density (BMD) in middle-aged and elderly men and women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We measured BMD and evaluated known determinants of osteoporosis in 56 type 1 and 68 type 2 diabetic patients and 498 nondiabetic community control subjects. All patients, aged 52-72 years, developed diabetes after the age of 30 years (i.e., after achievement of peak bone mass) and were treated with insulin. BMD was measured at the proximal femur with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: Among both sexes, BMD values were significantly lower in type 1 diabetic patients than in type 2 diabetic patients or the control subjects. When adjusted for age and BMI, the differences between type 1 diabetic patients and control subjects remained essentially unchanged in both sexes, whereas the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetic subjects were significant only in men. After further adjustments for confounding factors, the average BMD values were still lower in type 1 diabetic subjects than in type 2 diabetic subjects although with lesser significance. Past low-energy fractures were more common in type 1 diabetic women than in type 2 diabetic women. CONCLUSIONS: The lower BMD in type 1 versus type 2 diabetic patients and control subjects probably results from more rapid bone loss after the onset of type 1 diabetes. This cannot be explained by insulin treatment, which was prescribed for both types of patients. Because the causes of low BMD in type 1 diabetes are unknown, these patients should be evaluated for the risk of osteoporosis and related fractures and offered appropriate preventive measures.     

Lipid disorders in type 1 and type 2 diabetes

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic subjects. Abnormalities in circulating lipids and lipoproteins are considered to be important risk factors for cardiovascular disease because they occur with increased frequency in diabetic individuals. Because reversal of these abnormalities carries the potential for preventing or ameliorating cardiovascular disease, their identification and management with other cardiovascular disease risk factors deserve equal importance to the management of hyperglycemia and frequently are complementary to it.