J. Sonya Haw

Long-term Sustainability of Diabetes Prevention Approaches: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Importance Diabetes prevention is imperative to slow worldwide growth of diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. Yet the long-term efficacy of prevention strategies remains unknown. Objective To estimate aggregate long-term effects of different diabetes prevention strategies on diabetes incidence. Data Sources Systematic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. The initial search was conducted on January 14, 2014, and was updated on February 20, 2015. Search terms included prediabetes, primary prevention, and risk reduction. Study Selection Eligible randomized clinical trials evaluated lifestyle modification (LSM) and medication interventions (>6 months) for diabetes prevention in adults (age ≥18 years) at risk for diabetes, reporting between-group differences in diabetes incidence, published between January 1, 1990, and January 1, 2015. Studies testing alternative therapies and bariatric surgery, as well as those involving participants with gestational diabetes, type 1 or 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, were excluded. Data Extraction and Synthesis Reviewers extracted the number of diabetes cases at the end of active intervention in treatment and control groups. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to obtain pooled relative risks (RRs), and reported incidence rates were used to compute pooled risk differences (RDs). Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome was aggregate RRs of diabetes in treatment vs control participants. Treatment subtypes (ie, LSM components, medication classes) were stratified. To estimate sustainability, post-washout and follow-up RRs for medications and LSM interventions, respectively, were examined. Results Forty-three studies were included and pooled in meta-analysis (49 029 participants; mean [SD] age, 57.3 [8.7] years; 48.0% [n = 23 549] men): 19 tested medications; 19 evaluated LSM, and 5 tested combined medications and LSM. At the end of the active intervention (range, 0.5-6.3 years), LSM was associated with an RR reduction of 39% (RR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.54-0.68), and medications were associated with an RR reduction of 36% (RR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.54-0.76). The observed RD for LSM and medication studies was 4.0 (95% CI, 1.8-6.3) cases per 100 person-years or a number-needed-to-treat of 25. At the end of the washout or follow-up periods, LSM studies (mean follow-up, 7.2 years; range, 5.7-9.4 years) achieved an RR reduction of 28% (RR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.60-0.86); medication studies (mean follow-up, 17 weeks; range, 2-52 weeks) showed no sustained RR reduction (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.79-1.14). Conclusions and Relevance In adults at risk for diabetes, LSM and medications (weight loss and insulin-sensitizing agents) successfully reduced diabetes incidence. Medication effects were short lived. The LSM interventions were sustained for several years; however, their effects declined with time, suggesting that interventions to preserve effects are needed.

Predictive Value of Admission Hemoglobin A1c on Inpatient Glycemic Control and Response to Insulin Therapy in Medicine and Surgery Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

High hemoglobin A1c (A1C) levels are associated with poor clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients. Recent guidelines have recommended performing A1C measurements in hospitalized patients with hyperglycemia to differentiate between stress hyperglycemia and undiagnosed diabetes, to assess the level of glycemic control prior to admission in patients with diabetes, and to tailor appropriate diabetes therapy regimens at hospital discharge (1). To study the predictive role of admission A1C on inpatient glycemic control in medical and surgical hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes, we combined inpatient data from four randomized controlled trials of patients treated with a basal-bolus insulin regimen (2–5). We adopted the definition of optimal glycemic control as a combination of blood glucose (BG) levels below 180 mg/dL without hypoglycemia (BG <70 mg/dL) after 24 h of insulin therapy. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the …

Impact of obesity on hospital complications and mortality in hospitalized patients with hyperglycemia and diabetes.

Objective Obesity is associated with increased risk of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular mortality. Several studies have reported increased length of hospital stay and complications; however, there are also reports of obesity having a protective effect on health, a phenomenon coined the ‘obesity paradox’. We aimed to investigate the impact of overweight and obesity on complications and mortality in hospitalized patients with hyperglycemia and diabetes. Research design and methods This retrospective analysis was conducted on 29 623 patients admitted to two academic hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia, between January 2012 and December 2013. Patients were subdivided by body mass index into underweight (body mass index <18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2) and obese (>30 kg/m2). Hyperglycemia was defined as a blood glucose >10 mmol/L during hospitalization. Hospital complications included a composite of pneumonia, acute myocardial infarction, respiratory failure, acute kidney injury, bacteremia and death. Results A total of 4.2% were underweight, 29.6% had normal weight, 30.2% were overweight, and 36% were obese. 27.2% of patients had diabetes and 72.8% did not have diabetes (of which 75% had hyperglycemia and 25% had normoglycemia during hospitalization). A J-shaped curve with higher rates of complications was observed in underweight patients in all glycemic groups; however, there was no significant difference in the rate of complications among normal weight, overweight, or obese patients, with and without diabetes or hyperglycemia. Conclusions Underweight is an independent predictor for hospital complications. In contrast, increasing body mass index was not associated with higher morbidity or mortality, regardless of glycemic status. There was no evidence of an obesity paradox among inpatients with diabetes and hyperglycemia.

National Strategies to Decrease the Burden of Diabetes and Its Complications

Comparative results from national strategies for diabetes care and prevention are needed to understand the impact and barriers encountered during the implementation process. Long-term outcomes are limited, but results on intermediate outcomes and processes of diabetes care measures are available from translational research studies. In this narrative review, we highlight programs with nationwide reach, targeting various ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic populations with diabetes. We describe the implementation strategies, the impact on clinical outcomes, specific barriers, and cost-effectiveness results of national efforts aimed at improving diabetes care and prevention in the USA.

Quality improvement in diabetes—successful in achieving better care with hopes for prevention

Diabetes affects 29 million Americans and is associated with billions of dollars in health expenditures and lost productivity. Robust evidence has shown that lifestyle interventions in people at high risk for diabetes and comprehensive management of cardiometabolic risk factors like glucose, blood pressure, and lipids can delay the onset of diabetes and its complications, respectively. However, realizing the “triple aim” of better health, better care, and lower cost in diabetes has been hampered by low adoption of lifestyle interventions to prevent diabetes and poor achievement of care goals for those with diabetes. To achieve better care, a number of quality improvement (QI) strategies targeting the health system, healthcare providers, and/or patients have been evaluated in both controlled trials and real‐world programs, and have shown some successes, though barriers still impede wider adoption, effectiveness, real‐world feasibility, and scalability. Here, we summarize the effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness data regarding QI strategies in diabetes care and discuss the potential role of quality monitoring and QI in trying to implement primary prevention of diabetes more widely and effectively. Over time, achieving better care and better health will likely help bend the ever‐growing cost curve.

Stress hyperglycemia in general surgery: Why should we care?

AIMS To determine the frequency of increasing levels of stress hyperglycemia and its associated complications in surgery patients without a history of diabetes. METHODS We reviewed hospital outcomes in 1971 general surgery patients with documented preoperative normoglycemia [blood glucose (BG) <140mg/dL] who developed stress hyperglycemia (BG >140mg/dL or >180mg/dL) within 48h after surgery between 1/1/2010 and 10/31/2015. RESULTS A total of 415 patients (21%) had ≥1 episode of BG between 140 and 180mg/dL and 206 patients (10.5%) had BG>180mg/dL. The median length of hospital stay (LOS) was 9days [interquartile range (IQR) 5,15] for BG between 140 and 180mg/dL and 12days (IQR 6,18) for BG>180mg/dL compared to normoglycemia at 6days (IQR 4,11), both p<0.001. Patients with BG 140-180mg/dL had higher rates of complications with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.68 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.15-2.44], and those with BG>180mg/dL had more complications [OR 3.46 (95% CI 2.24-5.36)] and higher mortality [OR 6.56 (95% CI 2.12-20.27)] compared to normoglycemia. CONCLUSION Increasing levels of stress hyperglycemia are associated with higher rates of perioperative complications and hospital mortality in surgical patients without diabetes.

Stress Hyperglycemia in Patients with Tuberculosis Disease: Epidemiology and Clinical Implications

Purpose of ReviewThe intersection of tuberculosis (TB) disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus is severely hindering global efforts to reduce TB burdens. Diabetes increases the risk of developing TB disease and negatively impacts TB treatment outcomes including culture conversion time, mortality risk, and TB relapse. Recent evidence also indicates plausible mechanisms by which TB disease may influence the pathogenesis and incidence of diabetes. We review the epidemiology of stress hyperglycemia in patients with TB and the pathophysiologic responses to TB disease that are related to established mechanisms of stress hyperglycemia. We also consider clinical implications of stress hyperglycemia on TB treatment, and the role of TB disease on risk of diabetes post-TB.Recent FindingsAmong patients with TB disease, the development of stress hyperglycemia may influence the clinical manifestation and treatment response of some patients and can complicate diabetes diagnosis.SummaryResearch is needed to elucidate the relationship between TB disease and stress hyperglycemia and determine the extent to which stress hyperglycemia impacts TB treatment response. Currently, there is insufficient data to support clinical recommendations for glucose control among patients with TB disease, representing a major barrier for efforts to improve treatment outcomes for patients with TB and diabetes.

The Importance of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Research for Transgender and Gender-Nonbinary Individuals

Transgender and gender-nonbinary (trans/GNB) individuals are disproportionally affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), yet they are not adequately represented in HIV research and often underserved in clinical care. By building on community strengths and addressing structural, psychological and biological challenges, we can improve the engagement of trans/GNB people in research and ultimately improve prevention, testing, and care for this population. Here, we review the current state of the science related to HIV for trans/GNB people and discuss next steps to expand research that aims to improve the lives and well-being of trans/GNB persons.

A CASE OF BILATERAL ADRENAL HEMORRHAGE AND SUBSEQUENT ADRENAL CRISIS DUE TO HEPARIN-INDUCED THROMBOCYTOPENIA

ABSTRACT Objective: To discuss a case of adrenal insufficiency (AI) caused by heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) and subsequent adrenal hemorrhage. Methods: We describe the case of a patient who developed postoperative HIT, which went undetected until the patient presented with fulminant adrenal crisis. We provide here an overview of the work-up, diagnosis, and treatment of HIT-associated AI. Results: HIT is a rare cause of bilateral adrenal hemorrhage, and subsequent AI secondary to HIT is often clinically unsuspected until overt hemodynamic collapse occurs. Conclusions: Lack of early detection and appropriate treatment of HIT-induced AI can lead to significant patient morbidity and mortality. Awareness of this clinical condition is key to early recognition and treatment.