Roger Gadsby

European Diabetes Working Party for Older People 2011 clinical guidelines for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Executive summary.

AIM The Clinical Guidelines provide an opportunity to summarise the interpretation of relevant clinical trial evidence for older people with diabetes. They are intended to support clinical decisions in older people with diabetes and the primary focus is enhancing high quality diabetes care by the use of best available evidence. METHODS The principles used for developing the recommendations are drawn from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Using SIGN 50, the Guidelines developers handbook, each reviewer evaluated relevant and appropriate studies which have attempted to answer key clinical questions identified by the Working Party. Searches were generally limited to English language citations over the previous 15 years but the wide experience and multinational nature of the Working party ensured that citations in Italian, French Spanish, and German were considered if relevant. All relevant published articles were identified from the following databases: Embase, Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Trials Register, Cinahl, and Science Citation. Hand searching of 13 key major peer-reviewed journals was undertaken by two reviewers and included the Lancet, Diabetes, Diabetologia, Diabetes Care, Diabetes and Metabolism, British Medical Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of the American Medical Association. RESULTS Key evidenced-based recommendations were made in 18 clinical domains of interest and Good Clinical Practice points identified. A glucose-lowering algorithm has been provided for frail older patients with diabetes. CONCLUSION We have provided an up-to-date evidenced-based approach to practical clinical decision-making for older adults with type 2 diabetes of 70 years and over. We have included a user-friendly set of recommendations to aid clinical decision-making in primary, community-based and secondary care settings.

The potential impact of periodontal disease on general health : a consensus view

ABSTRACT Background: Evidence for a link between periodontal disease and several systemic diseases is growing rapidly. The infectious and inflammatory burden of chronic periodontitis is thought to have an important systemic impact. Current evidence suggests that periodontitis is associated with an increased likelihood of coronary heart disease and may influence the severity of diabetes. Scope: This paper represents a UK and Ireland cross-specialty consensus review, undertaken by a group of physicians and dentists. The consensus group reviewed published evidence (PubMed search for review and original articles), focusing on the past 5 years, on the contributory role of periodontal disease to overall health. In particular, evidence relating to a role for periodontal disease in cardiovascular disease and in diabetes was considered. Findings: Initial studies of large epidemiological data sets have sought to find links between periodontitis and systemic disease outcomes, but a causal relationship still needs to be demonstrated between periodontal disease, cardiovascular disease and diabetes through prospective studies. There is a need for prospective studies assessing the association between periodontal disease and patients at particular risk of cardiovascular events which will allow assessment of both cardiovascular disease clinical endpoints and surrogate markers of cardiovascular risk. Of note, periodontal disease is also often more severe in subjects with diabetes mellitus, a group at already increased risk for cardiovascular events. Conclusions: While further research is needed to define the population-attributable risk of periodontal disease to both cardiovascular diseases and to diabetes control and progression, health education to encourage better oral health should be considered as part of current healthy lifestyle messages designed to reduce the increasing health burden of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Pregnancy Nausea Related to Women's Obstetric and Personal Histories

We report the correlation between total hours of nausea in early pregnancy, as a continuous variable, and various factors in womens obstetric and personal histories. Positive correlations for increased nausea were found with heavier placentae (p = 0.005), non-smoking status (p = 0.004), women with nausea in previous pregnancies (p = 0.005), and women whose mothers experienced trouble with nausea in their pregnancies (p = 0.001). 17 other factors did not relate to pregnancy nausea at the p < 0.01 level.

Insulin initiation in primary care for patients with type 2 diabetes: 3-Year follow-up study

PURPOSE OF STUDY To evaluate the 3-year impact of initiating basal insulin on glycaemic control (HbA1c) and weight gain in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes registered with UK general practices that volunteered to participate in an insulin initiation training programme. METHODS Audit utilising data collected from practice record systems, which included data at baseline, 3, 6 months and subsequent six-monthly intervals post-insulin initiation for up to 10 patients per participating practice. RESULTS Of 115 eligible practices, 55 (47.8%) contributed data on a total of 516 patients. The mean improvement in HbA1c levels in the first 6 months was 1.4% (range -3.8% to 8.2%, median=1.40%). Thereafter, there was no overall change in HbA1c levels, although the change for individual patients ranged from -4.90% to +7.50%. At 36 months, 141 (41%) patients for whom data were provided had achieved the pre-2006/2007 UK Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) target of 7.4% or less, including 98 (29%) who had achieved an HbA1c of 7% or less. Patients who achieved target had a lower HbA1c at baseline (mean 9.1% compared to 9.7%; p<0.001); had a lower weight at 36 months (mean 88.0kg compared to 93.5kg; p=0.05); were more likely to be on basal insulin alone (88, 47.1% compared to 46, 34.6%; p<0.05); and were slightly older (mean 64.5 years compared to 61.7 years; p<0.05). CONCLUSION Attending an insulin initiation training programme may successfully prepare primary healthcare professionals to initiate insulin therapy as part of everyday practice for patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. The impact on glycaemic control is maintained over a 3-year period. Although intensification of treatment occurred during this period, the findings suggest scope for further intensification of insulin therapy in order to improve on the glycaemic control achieved during the first 6 months post-insulin initiation.

People living with diabetes resident in nursing homes—assessing levels of disability and nursing needs

Diabet. Med. 28, 778–780 (2011)

Setting research priorities for Type 1 diabetes.

Diabet. Med. 29, 1321–1326 (2012)

Prescribed medicines for elderly frail people with diabetes resident in nursing homes : issues of polypharmacy and medication costs

Diabet. Med. 29, 136–139 (2012)

Current prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in adults and children in the UK

Last year we published a statement of diabetes prevalence in the UK [1]. Accurate information on the number of people with diabetes is essential for the management of diabetes and to understand the epidemiology of the disease and its complications. New data are now published, which allows our data to be updated, and sources of data have been combined to estimate the split of diabetes by type. In autumn 2014 the Quality and Outcomes Framework [2], a financial incentive scheme for general practice based on indicators of the level of care received by patients, provided data on the number of people aged ≥ 17 years with diagnosed diabetes across all four nations of the UK at the end of March 2014. This showed that across the UK there were 3 333 069 people aged ≥ 17 years with a recorded diagnosis of diabetes, which equates to a prevalence of 6.2% in this age group. This is up from the equivalent figure of 6% last year [1]. The number of children and young people with diagnosed diabetes aged ≤ 16 years (and therefore not

Influence of primary care practices on patients’ uptake of diabetic retinopathy screening: a qualitative case study

Background The NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme aims to reduce the risk of sight loss among people with diabetes in England by enabling prompt diagnosis of sight-threatening retinopathy. However, the rate of screening uptake between practices can vary from 55% to 95%. Existing research focuses on the impact of patient demographics but little is known about GP practice-related factors that can make a difference. Aim To identify factors contributing to high or low patient uptake of retinopathy screening. Design and setting Qualitative case-based study; nine purposively selected GP practices (deprived/affluent; high/low screening uptake) in three retinopathy screening programme areas. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients, primary care professionals, and screeners. A comparative case-based analysis was carried out to identify factors related to high or low screening uptake. Results Eight possible factors that influenced uptake were identified. Five modifiable factors related to service and staff interactions: communication with screening services; contacting patients; integration of screening with other care; focus on the newly diagnosed; and perception of non-attenders. Three factors were non-modifiable challenges related to practice location: level of deprivation; diversity of ethnicities and languages; and transport and access. All practices adopted strategies to improve uptake, but the presence of two or more major barriers made it very hard for practices to achieve higher uptake levels. Conclusions A range of service-level opportunities to improve screening attendance were identified that are available to practices and screening teams. More research is needed into the complex interfaces of care that make up retinopathy screening.

Frequency of self-monitoring of blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes: association with hypoglycaemic events

Objective: The objective of this study is to describe current self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) practice for patients with type 2 diabetes by treatment type and adherence with healthcare professional advice concerning SMBG. In addition, the study aims to investigate the association of SMBG and self-reported episodes of low blood glucose. Design and setting: This cross-sectional survey design study was carried out on patients with type 2 diabetes aged 18 years or over, attending community pharmacies in 97 sites across the United Kingdom. Methods: Patients picking up a prescription for blood glucose test strips or diabetes medicine from a community pharmacist were asked to complete a questionnaire. The pharmacist was available to assist if requested. Questions included: self-reports of frequency of blood glucose testing; type of diabetes treatment; advice given by healthcare professionals about frequency of blood glucose testing; frequency of episodes of low blood glucose; and last known HbA1c level. The final sample size was 554 respondents, who were grouped for analysis as follows: those being treated with insulin, either alone or with any oral medication (n = 167); those being treated with sulfonylureas, either alone or with any oral medication (n = 187); and those being treated with any other medication, or controlled by diet and exercise alone (n = 202). Results: Frequency of SMBG was higher in patients using insulin (median 10 times per week, Q 1, Q 3 = 4.5, 14) than in patients on treatments other than insulin (four times per week, Q 1, Q 3 = 2, 7, p < 0.001). SMBG was carried out at the same frequency in patients not treated with insulin regardless of whether they were prescribed sulfonylureas. Greater frequency of SMBG was associated with self-reports of one or more episodes of low blood glucose in the previous six months. Conclusions: Among patients with type 2 diabetes, those treated with insulin used SMBG at a greater frequency than those not treated with insulin. Increased frequency of testing was associated with increased frequency of self-reported episodes of low blood glucose, even among patients not taking insulin or sulfonylureas. This raises the possibility that episodes of hypoglycaemia may not be accurately identified, leading to unnecessary fear, or conversely that treatment is not being adjusted to avoid such morbidity. Although further work is needed to explore this association in a representative, prospective cohort of patients, possible explanations for reports of low-blood glucose should be discussed with patients using SMBG more frequently to ensure they are able to accurately identify episodes of hypoglycaemia.