Leonardo Maurício Diniz

Type 2 diabetes: prevalence and associated factors in a Brazilian community - the Bambuí health and aging study

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Diabetes is an increasing cause of death in developing countries. Our objective was to describe the prevalence and clinical factors associated with diabetes and impaired fasting glycemia among adults (18-59 years) and elderly adults (60+ years). DESIGN AND SETTING Population based, cross-sectional study in Bambuí, Brazil. METHODS 816 adult and 1,494 elderly participants were interviewed; weight, height and blood pressure measured; and blood samples collected. Diabetes was defined as plasma fasting glucose > 126 mg/dl and/or use of hypoglycemic agents; impaired fasting glycemia as glycemia of 110-125 mg/dl. Associations were investigated using multinomial logistical regression (reference: fasting glycemia < 109 mg/dl). RESULTS Among the elderly, 218 (14.59%) presented diabetes and 199 (13.32%) impaired fasting glycemia, whereas adult prevalences were 2.33% and 5.64%. After multinomial analysis, diabetes remained associated, for adults, with increased waist-to-hip ratio and total cholesterol > 240 mg/dl; for elderly adults, with family history of diabetes, body-mass index of 25-29 kg/m(2), body-mass index > 30 kg/m(2), increased waist-to-hip ratio, low HDL-cholesterol triglyceridemia of 200-499 mg/dl and triglyceridemia > 500 mg/dl. Among adults, impaired fasting glycemia remained associated negatively with male sex and positively with ages of 40-59 years, physical inactivity and increased waist-to-hip ratio; among the elderly, with alcohol consumption, overweight, obesity and triglycerides > 200 mg/dl. CONCLUSIONS The results reinforce the importance of interventions to reduce physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, obesity and dyslipidemia, so as to prevent increasing incidence of diabetes.

Efficacy of Mobile Apps to Support the Care of Patients With Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease that is considered a global public health problem. Education and self-monitoring by diabetic patients help to optimize and make possible a satisfactory metabolic control enabling improved management and reduced morbidity and mortality. The global growth in the use of mobile phones makes them a powerful platform to help provide tailored health, delivered conveniently to patients through health apps. Objective The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of mobile apps through a systematic review and meta-analysis to assist DM patients in treatment. Methods We conducted searches in the electronic databases MEDLINE (Pubmed), Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), including manual search in references of publications that included systematic reviews, specialized journals, and gray literature. We considered eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted after 2008 with participants of all ages, patients with DM, and users of apps to help manage the disease. The meta-analysis of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was performed in Review Manager software version 5.3. Results The literature search identified 1236 publications. Of these, 13 studies were included that evaluated 1263 patients. In 6 RCTs, there were a statistical significant reduction (P<.05) of HbA1c at the end of studies in the intervention group. The HbA1c data were evaluated by meta-analysis with the following results (mean difference, MD −0.44; CI: −0.59 to −0.29; P<.001; I²=32%).The evaluation favored the treatment in patients who used apps without significant heterogeneity. Conclusions The use of apps by diabetic patients could help improve the control of HbA1c. In addition, the apps seem to strengthen the perception of self-care by contributing better information and health education to patients. Patients also become more self-confident to deal with their diabetes, mainly by reducing their fear of not knowing how to deal with potential hypoglycemic episodes that may occur.

Quality of life of patients with Diabetes Mellitus Types 1 and 2 from a referal health centre in Minas Gerais, Brazil

ABSTRACT Quality of life (QoL) characteristics are important in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM 1 and 2). Aim: Evaluate QoL and DM-associated factors among diabetic patients. Methods: Patients attending a University Hospital were interviewed about their sociodemographic, clinical and QoL characteristics, with QoL measured via the EQ-5D. Descriptive analysis, correlation, linear regression, univariate and multivariate analysis were performed. Results: 346 patients took part, comprising 67% women, 59% with DM2, and 32% DM1. DM 1 patients had a mean QoL score of 0.7369, with retinopathy, depression, dyslipidemia and a serious hypoglycemic crisis significantly reducing QoL. Patients with DM type 2 had a mean QoL score of 0.6582, with hypertension, neuropathy, depression, cancer and dyslipidemia significantly reducing QoL. Reduced QoL also correlated with a lack of physical exercise. Males with both DM1 and 2 had a better QoL than females. Conclusion: Need for better disease monitoring and control combined with effective activities to improve self-care, reduce complications and improve patients’ QoL.

Diabetes mellitus tipo 1 na ausência de neuropatia autonômica não altera a taxa de sudorese no exercício

Sudoresis is the main autonomic human thermoregulatory mechanism. It can be influenced by several factors, including diseases, among them diabetes mellitus Type 1 (DM1), whose patients are potential victims of thermoregulatory disturbances. Regular physical exercises are recommended to diabetic people and some of them even become athletes. However, up to now, the sweat rate (SR) of diabetic patients during graded exercise until exhaustion (GXT) has not been compared to the SR of healthy individuals with similar physical characteristics. The present study measured global (SRglobal) and local (SRlocal) sweat rates during GXT in 14 diabetic (DM) and control subjects (CG), similar in age, gender, body composition and aerobic capacity. Urine specific gravity (Gu), body mass and blood glucose (Gblood) were measured before and after GXT. Besides that, Srlocal (forearm and leg) was measured by iontophoresis with pilocarpine (0.5%) in the DM group. Heart rate (HR), skin temperature (Tsk) and environmental thermal conditions were measured during the experiment. Both initial and final Gblood were higher in the DM, as expected. The Gu were similar between groups. Exercise induced similar SRglobal and SRlocal in both groups, whereas the rest HR and rest and exercise Tsk were higher in the DM. Forearm and leg SR were not different in the DM. It was concluded that the sweating response was not different between young diabetic patients and control group during GXT in a temperate environment.

Lower fasting blood glucose in neurofibromatosis type 1

Studies indicate a lower occurrence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Fasting blood glucose (FBG) level is the main criterion used to diagnose DM and glucose intolerance. Therefore, this study compared FBG level between adults with NF1 and non-NF1 controls. We selected clinical records of 57 out of 701 individuals attending the Neurofibromatosis Outpatient Reference Center of the Clinics Hospital of the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil. The selected patients with NF1 were matched to non-NF1 controls selected from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health according to sex, age (range, 35–74 years) and BMI at a ratio of 1:3. In both groups, individuals with DM were excluded. Median FBG level in the NF1 group (86 mg/dl (range, 56–127 mg/dl)) was lower than that in the non-NF1 control group (102 mg/dl (range, 85–146 mg/dl)) (P<0.001). Prevalence of FBG level ≥100 mg/dl in the NF1 group (16%) was lower than that in the non-NF1 control group (63%) (P<0.05). The chance of a high FBG level was 89% lower in the NF1 group (odds ratio, 0.112; 95% CI, 0.067–0.188) (P<0.05). In conclusion, adults with NF1 showed a lower FBG level and a lower prevalence of high FBG level compared with non-NF1 controls.

Quality of Life of Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Using Insulin Analog Glargine Compared with NPH Insulin: A Systematic Review and Policy Implications

IntroductionInsulin analog glargine (GLA) has been available as one of the therapeutic options for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus to enhance glycemic control. Studies have shown that a decrease in the frequency of hypoglycemic episodes improves the quality of life (QoL) of diabetic patients. However, there are appreciable acquisition cost differences between different insulins. Consequently, there is a need to assess their impact on QoL to provide future guidance to health authorities.MethodA systematic review of multiple databases including Medline, LILACS, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases with several combinations of agreed terms involving randomized controlled trials and cohorts, as well as manual searches and gray literature, was undertaken. The primary outcome measure was a change in QoL. The quality of the studies and the risk of bias was also assessed.ResultsEight studies were eventually included in the systematic review out of 634 publications. Eight different QoL instruments were used (two generic, two mixed, and four specific), in which the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ) was the most used. The systematic review did not consistently show any significant difference overall in QoL scores, whether as part of subsets or combined into a single score, with the use of GLA versus neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin. Only in patient satisfaction measured by DTSQ was a better result consistently seen with GLA versus NPH insulin, but not using the Well-being Inquiry for Diabetics (WED) scale. However, none of the cohort studies scored a maximum on the Newcastle–Ottawa scale for quality, and they generally were of moderate quality with bias in the studies.ConclusionThere was no consistent difference in QoL or patient-reported outcomes when the findings from the eight studies were collated. In view of this, we believe the current price differential between GLA and NPH insulin in Brazil cannot be justified by these findings.

Authors’ Reply to Dr. Malerbi: “Insulin Glargine in a Brazilian State: Should the Government Disinvest?”

Dear Editor, We thank Dr. Malerbi for his comments regarding the systematic review [1]: “Insulin Glargine in the Brazilian State: Should the Government Disinvest? An Assessment Based on a Systematic Review” [2]. In particular, we thank Dr. Malerbi for pointing out the recently published ORIGIN study [3] clarifying the situation regarding insulin glargine and its neutral effects on the development of cancer following the previous observations of Hemkens et al. and Jonasson et al. [4, 5]. This will be welcomed by patients. However, we were concerned by his comments that we “seem to have prepared their review with the primary motivation of justifying—both on administrative and juridical grounds—the denial from the government to dispense insulin analogues to those diabetic patients who need them”.

Uso de medicamentos e fatores associados à polifarmácia em indivíduos com diabetes mellitus em Minas Gerais, Brasil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of drugs and the factors associated with polypharmacy in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in Minas Gerais. Descriptive analysis of drugs in use and logistic regression to estimate the association between socio-demographic and clinical characteristics with polypharmacy were performed. Of the 2619 respondents, 56.5% were in polypharmacy. Drugs for DM, agent in renin-angiotensin system, and diuretics are the most frequently used. Factors such as age, comorbidities and increased access to health services were associated with polypharmacy. It was observed high prevalence of polypharmacy, which requires a suitable care and better quality of drug use in this population.