Silvia Paredes

Cortisol: the villain in Metabolic Syndrome?

OBJECTIVE This article reviews the state of the art regarding the association between glucocorticoid actions and both obesity and insulin resistance, two main features of the metabolic syndrome. METHODS A methodological assessment of the literature on PubMed and SciELO databases was conducted by using the following terms: stress, metabolic syndrome, glucocorticoids, obesity, insulin resistance, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. RESULTS Chronic stress, mainly through hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation, promotes the accumulation of visceral fat. Reciprocally, obesity promotes a systemic low-grade inflammation state, mediated by increased adipokine secretion, which can chronically stimulate and disturb stress system. This vicious cycle, probably initiated by visceral adipose tissue dysfunction, might be the trigger for the development of metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION Given the strong evidences linking glucocorticoid release, obesity and type 2 diabetes, better understanding of the mechanisms underlying this connection might be useful for prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome.

Cardiovascular safety of type 2 diabetes medications: Review of existing literature and clinical implications.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the cardiovascular effect of antidiabetic drugs are today critical medical issues, with the prevalence of T2DM in particular showing a steep increase worldwide, mainly due to unhealthy lifestyle habits. T2DM in association with obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors, results in the development of CVD, the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with T2DM. Thus, treatment of T2DM is an individualized and complex challenge in which targeting cardiovascular risk factors is an important component in the decision making. Given the cardiovascular adverse events associated with rosiglitazone, both the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency currently require the demonstration of cardiovascular safety of new antidiabetic drugs. Consequently, clinical trials to guarantee their cardiovascular safety are now obligatory. This review aims to summarize the available evidence on the cardiovascular effects and safety of the major drugs used in T2DM treatment and also to provide an overview of upcoming and ongoing clinical trials in this field. Our belief is that this review will be of substantial assistance to all medical doctors who are treating diabetic patients, namely primary care physicians, internal medicine doctors, endocrinologists, diabetologists and less well experienced personnel such as young doctors in training.

Drugs Involved in Dyslipidemia and Obesity Treatment: Focus on Adipose Tissue

Metabolic syndrome can be defined as a state of disturbed metabolic homeostasis characterized by visceral obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, arterial hypertension, and insulin resistance. The growing prevalence of metabolic syndrome will certainly contribute to the burden of cardiovascular disease. Obesity and dyslipidemia are main features of metabolic syndrome, and both can present with adipose tissue dysfunction, involved in the pathogenic mechanisms underlying this syndrome. We revised the effects, and underlying mechanisms, of the current approved drugs for dyslipidemia and obesity (fibrates, statins, niacin, resins, ezetimibe, and orlistat; sibutramine; and diethylpropion, phentermine/topiramate, bupropion and naltrexone, and liraglutide) on adipose tissue. Specifically, we explored how these drugs can modulate the complex pathways involved in metabolism, inflammation, atherogenesis, insulin sensitivity, and adipogenesis. The clinical outcomes of adipose tissue modulation by these drugs, as well as differences of major importance for clinical practice between drugs of the same class, were identified. Whether solutions to these issues will be found in further adjustments and combinations between drugs already in use or necessarily in new advances in pharmacology is not known. To better understand the effect of drugs used in dyslipidemia and obesity on adipose tissue not only is challenging for physicians but could also be the next step to tackle cardiovascular disease.

Management and Treatment of Glucocorticoid-Induced Hyperglycemia

INTRODUCTION Glucocorticoids have been associated to several side effects, specially a diabetogenic action, the most common and representative effect. Glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia is a common medical condition, with general associated morbidity and mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS It was performed a literature review about the management and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia. RESULTS Through numerous not quite fully understood mechanics, glucocorticoids promote hyperglycemia in non-diabetic patients and worsen diabetes control in diabetic individuals. Glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia presents key patterns, enhanced in the postprandial period and scheduled-dependent. Despite the existence of guidelines for hyperglycemia treatment in non-critic hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients, there are no guidelines respecting glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia. Nevertheless, it is known that glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia is complex and demanding, requiring a specific approach. Indeed, glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia treatment depends on the glucocorticoid used, its dose, frequency and schedule. Furthermore, the scheme of treatment previously used by diabetic individuals also influences the choice of the new scheme. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The authors reviewed the glucocorticoid induced-hyperglycemia thematic and propose strategies to approach and treat glucocorticoid induced-hyperglycemia in diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. This review is expected to be useful in different settings and crosswise to all medical specialties.