John M.F. Adam

Managing diabetes in Asia: overcoming obstacles and the role of DPP-IV inhibitors.

Asia bears the worlds greatest burden of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and prevalence is increasing rapidly. Compared to other races, Asians develop T2DM younger, at a lower degree of obesity, suffer longer from its complications and die earlier. Curbing this epidemic requires an integrated, risk-based, and multidisciplinary approach. Inadequately managed T2DM has macrovascular and microvascular sequelae, Asians with T2DM being particularly susceptible to diabetic nephropathy. Earlier and more intensive monitoring and management of risk factors are required, especially for patients with, or at risk of, renal impairment. Particular challenges of T2DM management in Asia include: lack of access to specialist healthcare, insufficient clinical evaluation and delayed diagnosis. As in Caucasians, conventional treatment modalities are limited by deteriorating glycaemic control with disease progression and there is an unmet need for efficacious, safe, cost-effective and convenient pharmacotherapies for treating different stages of T2DM and preventing its complications, particularly in high-risk patients. There is a trend towards increasing use of DPP-IV inhibitors, which are no less efficacious and safe in Asians than Caucasians and may have some advantages over existing oral antidiabetic agents, particularly for certain high-risk groups. Such agents may play a significant future role in the management of T2DM.

Disturbance of B-vitamin status in people with type 2 diabetes in Indonesia—Link to renal status, glycemic control and vascular inflammation

BACKGROUND Diabetes is associated with mishandling of thiamine in the kidney and development of diabetic nephropathy. The aim of this study is to assess the disturbance of thiamine and other B-vitamin status of patients with type 2 diabetes in Indonesia. METHODS One hundred and fifteen patients with type 2 diabetes with and without microalbuminuria or albuminuria and 39 healthy people were recruited. After a 2-month washout period for B-vitamin supplementation, markers of vitamins B(1), B(6), B(9) and B(12), were determined. RESULTS Fractional excretion of thiamine (22.8 versus 33.5%; P<0.05) and urinary excretion of the vitamin B(6) degradation product 4-pyridoxic acid (0.081 versus 0.133 μmol/g creatinine, P<0.001) was increased in patients with type 2 diabetes with respect to healthy controls. There was also increased total plasma cobalamin (398 versus 547 pmol/l, P<0.001) and holotranscobalamin (74 versus 97 pmol/l, P<0.001) in patients with type 2 diabetes. In multiple regression analysis these were linked to HbA1c, duration of diabetes and systolic blood pressure, and fasting plasma glucose, folate and C-reactive protein, respectively. CONCLUSIONS There was renal mishandling of thiamine, increased degradation of vitamin B(6) and cytosolic metabolic resistance to vitamin B(12) in patients with type 2 diabetes in Indonesia.