Diabetes

Long-term modification of lifestyle, such as dietary habits and physical activity, has a substantial effect on stroke incidence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to the Japanese Diabetes Complications Study. Researchers from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, randomly allocated 2,033 men and women aged 40–70 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus to receive standard care with or without education on lifestyle intervention. No difference was found in cardiovascular risk factors.

The risk of progression of renal disease in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus is increased by abnormal lipid profiles, in particular high triglyceride levels. A Finnish prospective cohort study of 2,034 adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus, who were followed for a mean 5.4 years, showed that incident microalbuminuria could be predicted by high levels of triglycerides, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A-II and HDL3 cholesterol. Triglycerides and apolipoprotein B concentrations also predicted the progression to macroalbuminuria.

Nocturnal intermittent hypoxia (as a marker of obstructive sleep apnea) is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Researchers of the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS) assessed nocturnal intermittent hypoxia by pulse oximetry in 4,398 Japanese aged 40–69 years. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus was highest for individuals with moderate to severe nocturnal intermittent hypoxia.

Questionnaires were completed by 2,062 adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus, their parents and their health-care teams in 21 international centers, to evaluate glycemic targets set by health-care professionals, their perception by adolescents and parents and their influence on metabolic control. HbA1c levels were measured centrally. The self-reported glycemic targets set by adolescents and their parents, as well as those set by health-care professionals and actual metabolic outcome correlated strongly.