To assess trends in prescribing practices of antidiabetic agents and glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Cross-sectional analysis using yearly clinical data and ...antidiabetic treatments prescribed obtained from an electronic population database.
Primary healthcare centres, including the entire population attended by the Institut Català de la Salut in Catalonia, Spain, from 2007 to 2013.
Patients aged 31-90 years with a diagnosis of T2DM.
The number of registered patients with T2DM in the database was 257 072 in 2007, increasing up to 343 969 in 2013. The proportion of patients not pharmacologically treated decreased by 9.7% (95% CI -9.48% to -9.92%), while there was an increase in the percentage of patients on monotherapy (4.4% increase; 95% CI 4.16% to 4.64%), combination therapy (2.8% increase; 95% CI 2.58% to 3.02%), and insulin alone or in combination (increasing 2.5%; 95% CI 2.2% to 2.8%). The use of metformin and dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors increased gradually, while sulfonylureas, glitazones and α-glucosidase inhibitors decreased. The use of glinides remained stable, and the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists was still marginal. Regarding glycaemic control, there were no relevant differences across years: mean glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) value was around 7.2%; the percentage of patients reaching an HbA1c≤7% target ranged between 52.2% and 55.6%; and those attaining their individualised target from 72.8% to 75.7%.
Although the proportion of patients under pharmacological treatment increased substantially over time and there was an increase in the use of combination therapies, there have not been relevant changes in glycaemic control during the 2007-2013 period in Catalonia.
Despite normal to high bone mineral density, patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) have an increased fracture risk. T2DM medications could partially account for this excess risk. The aim of this study ...was to assess the association between insulin use and bone fracture risk in T2DM patients. A population-based matched cohort study based on a primary care records database validated for research use (Catalonia, Spain) was performed. Propensity score (PS) for insulin use was calculated using logistic regression including predefined predictors of fractures. A total of 2,979 insulin users and 14,895 non-users were observed for a median of 1.42 and 4.58 years respectively. Major fracture rates were 11.2/1,000 person-years for insulin users, compared with 8.3/1,000 among non-users. Matched models confirmed a significant association, with an adjusted subhazard ratio (adj SHR) of 1.38 95% CI 1.06 to 1.80 for major fractures. No differences between types of insulin or different regimens were found. Estimated number needed to harm (fracture) was 82 (95% CI 32 to 416). Insulin use appears to be associated with a 38% excess fracture risk among T2DM patients in the early stages of the disease. Fracture risk should be included among the considerations to initiate insulin treatment.
We evaluated the ability of the Fatty Liver Index (FLI), a surrogate marker of hepatic steatosis, to predict the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) at 3 years follow-up in a Spanish cohort with ...prediabetes from a prospective observational study in primary care (PREDAPS).
FLI was calculated at baseline for 1,142 adult subjects with prediabetes attending primary care centers, and classified into three categories: FLI <30 (no steatosis), FLI 30-60 (intermediate) and FLI ≥60 (hepatic steatosis). We estimated the incidence rate of T2D in each FLI category at 3 years of follow-up. The association between FLI and incident T2D was calculated using Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, educational level, family history of diabetes, lifestyles, hypertension, lipid profile and transaminases.
The proportion of subjects with prediabetes and hepatic steatosis (FLI ≥60) at baseline was 55.7%. The incidence rate of T2D at 3 years follow-up was 1.3, 2.9 and 6.0 per 100 person-years for FLI<30, FLI 30->60 and FLI ≥60, respectively. The most significant variables increasing the risk of developing T2D were metabolic syndrome (hazard ratio HR = 3.02; 95% confidence interval CI = 2.14-4.26) and FLI ≥60 (HR = 4.52; 95%CI = 2.10-9.72). Moreover, FLI ≥60 was independently associated with T2D incidence: the HR was 4.97 (95% CI: 2.28-10.80) in the base regression model adjusted by sex, age and educational level, and 3.21 (95%CI: 1.45-7.09) in the fully adjusted model.
FLI may be considered an easy and valuable early indicator of high risk of incident T2D in patients with prediabetes attended in primary care, which could allow the adoption of effective measures needed to prevent and reduce the progression of the disease.
Aims
To evaluate short‐ and long‐term glycaemic control and hypoglycaemia incidence in insulin‐naïve patients ≥30 years of age with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) initiating basal insulin (BI) with or ...without oral anti‐hyperglycaemic drugs (OADs).
Methods
This was an observational, retrospective longitudinal analysis of electronic medical records from 5 European countries and the USA. A multivariable logistic regression model assessed baseline and short‐term (0‐3 months post BI initiation) factors associated with long‐term (3‐24 months) glycaemic control and hypoglycaemia.
Results
Overall, 40 627 patients were included; 20.9% and 27.8% achieved the general HbA1c target of ≤7% at 3 and 24 months post BI initiation, respectively. Failure to achieve HbA1c ≤7% at 3 months was associated with increased risk of failing to achieve target at 24 months (odds ratio OR, 3.70 95% CI, 3.41‐4.00). Over 24 months, 8.9% of patients experienced a recorded hypoglycaemic event. Hypoglycaemia during the initial 3‐month period was associated with longer‐term risk of these events over the ensuing 3 to 24 months (OR, 5.71 95% CI, 4.67‐6.99).
Conclusions
Initiating BI with or without OADs is associated with short‐ and long‐term suboptimal glycaemic control; the majority of patients fail to achieve HbA1c target ≤7% in the first 3 months, or after 2 years of BI treatment. Treatment response and hypoglycaemia incidence by 3 months post BI initiation are associated with longer‐term glycaemic control and hypoglycaemic risk, respectively. These results support the need for early anti‐hyperglycaemic interventions that more effectively control blood glucose levels without increasing the risk of hypoglycaemia.
Chronic-diabetes-related complications simultaneously compromise both the micro- and macrovascular trees, with target organs considered as the paradigm of large vessel injury also entailing ...microangiopathic changes. However, complications independent or partially independent from vascular damage are often overlooked. This includes neuronal dysfunction (e.g., retinal neurodegeneration), interstitial injury (e.g., tubulointerstitial disease), metabolic damage (e.g., in the heart and liver), and nonclassical conditions such as cognitive decline, impaired pulmonary function, or increased risk of cancer. In this scenario, researchers, endocrinologists and primary care physicians should have a holistic view of the disease and pay further attention to all organs and all potential clinical repercussions, which would certainly contribute to a more rational and integrated patient health care.
Diabetes complications include pathological changes beyond the vascular system and classical target organs.Microangiopathy may affect nonclassical target organs.Organs affected by microangiopathy may also show neuronal or structural deficits including: neurodegeneration and neurodysfunction of the retina; structural changes in the kidney tubular interstitium; and nerve fiber dysfunction.Organs affected by macroangiopathy also show microvascular and neuronal deficits including: microangiopathy of the arterial wall; microangiopathy and neuropathic changes adding to ischemic and nonischemic heart disease; metabolic peripheral nerve damage; cerebral small vessel disease; and structural changes leading to cognitive impairment.Nonclassical chronic complications include abnormal pulmonary function and microangiopathy, metabolic liver and myocardial damage, and increased risk of carcinogenesis.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the main cause of death among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), particularly in low- and middle-income countries. To effectively prevent the ...development of CVDs in T2DM, considerable effort has been made to explore novel preventive approaches, individualized glycemic control and cardiovascular risk management (strict blood pressure and lipid control), together with recently developed glucose-lowering agents and lipid-lowering drugs. This review mainly addresses the important issues affecting the choice of antidiabetic agents and lipid, blood pressure and antiplatelet treatments considering the cardiovascular status of the patient. Finally, we also discuss the changes in therapy principles underlying CVDs in T2DM.
In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the possible association of vitamin D deficiency with self-reported treatment satisfaction and health-related quality of life in patients with type 2 ...diabetes.
We performed a sub-analysis of a previous study and included a total of 292 type 2 diabetic patients. We evaluated treatment satisfaction and health-related quality of life through specific tools: the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25 (OH) D serum levels < 15 ng/mL.
Multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the relationship of vitamin D deficiency with both outcomes once adjusted for self-reported patient characteristics. Vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with the final score of the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire and the single "diabetes-specific quality of life" dimension of the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (p = 0.0198 and p = 0.0070, respectively). However, lower concentrations of 25-OH vitamin D were not associated with the overall quality of life score or the perceived frequency of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia.
Our study shows the association between vitamin D deficiency and both the self-reported diabetes treatment satisfaction and the diabetes-specific quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes microangiopathy, a hallmark complication of diabetes, is characterised by structural and functional abnormalities within the intricate network of microvessels beyond well-known and ...documented target organs, i.e., the retina, kidney, and peripheral nerves. Indeed, an intact microvascular bed is crucial for preserving each organ's specific functions and achieving physiological balance to meet their respective metabolic demands. Therefore, diabetes-related microvascular dysfunction leads to widespread multiorgan consequences in still-overlooked non-traditional target organs such as the brain, the lung, the bone tissue, the skin, the arterial wall, the heart, or the musculoskeletal system. All these organs are vulnerable to the physiopathological mechanisms that cause microvascular damage in diabetes (i.e., hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction) and collectively contribute to abnormalities in the microvessels' structure and function, compromising blood flow and tissue perfusion. However, the microcirculatory networks differ between organs due to variations in haemodynamic, vascular architecture, and affected cells, resulting in a spectrum of clinical presentations. The aim of this review is to focus on the multifaceted nature of microvascular impairment in diabetes through available evidence of specific consequences in often overlooked organs. A better understanding of diabetes microangiopathy in non-target organs provides a broader perspective on the systemic nature of the disease, underscoring the importance of recognising the comprehensive range of complications beyond the classic target sites.
PurposeThe Mollerussa prospective cohort was created to study pre-diabetes in a population-based sample from the primary care setting in the semirural area of Pla d’Urgell in Catalonia (Spain). The ...aims of the study were to assess the prevalence of pre-diabetes in our population, the likelihood to develop overt diabetes over time and to identify risk factors associated with the progression of the condition.ParticipantsThe cohort includes 594 subjects randomly selected between March 2011 and July 2014 from our primary care population, who were older than 25 years, consented to participate and did not have a recorded diagnosis of diabetes.Findings to dateAt baseline, we performed a clinical interview to collect demographic, clinical and lifestyle (including a nutritional survey) characteristics; carotid ultrasound imaging to assess subclinical cardiovascular disease was also performed, and a blood sample was collected, with an overall <5% rate of missing data. An additional blood draw was performed 12 months after initial recruitment to reassess laboratory results in patients initially identified as having pre-diabetes, with an 89.6% retention rate. Several studies investigating various hypotheses are currently ongoing.Future plansAll subjects recruited during the cohort creation will be followed long-term through annual extraction of data from health records stored in the electronic Clinical station in Primary Care database. The Mollerussa cohort will thus be a sound population-based sample for multiple future research projects to generate insights into the epidemiology and natural history of pre-diabetes in Spain.
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