Factors associated with glycemic control in people with diabetes mellitus

The rise of weekly insulins: addressing the challenges of type 2 diabetes care in Brazil

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a global health concern with a rising prevalence, particularly in Brazil. Insulin therapy plays a crucial role in managing T2D, helping to maintain glucose and energy homeostasis. Moreover, early initiation of insulin is crucial for hyperglycemic control and prevention of chronic complications. Clinical guidelines recommend initiating insulin when other treatments fail. However, several barriers may delay its initiation, contributing to therapeutic inertia and patients' non-adherence. These barriers include fear of hypoglycemia, lack of adherence, the need for glucose monitoring, the injection method of insulin administration, social rejection associated with the stigma of injections, fear of weight gain, a sense of therapeutic failure at initiation, and lack of experience among some healthcare professionals. : In this context, the development of once-weekly insulin formulations could improve initial acceptance, adherence, treatment satisfaction, and consequently, the quality of life for patients. Currently, two once-weekly insulin treatments, insulin icodec and efsitora alfa, have shown promise in clinical trials, demonstrating efficacy and safety profiles similar or better than those of daily insulin therapies.

SHORT CONCLUSION

These once-weekly insulins have the potential to emerge as landmark achievements in the evolution of insulin therapy. This narrative review aims to evaluate the role of weekly insulins in managing T2D, providing insights into the potential benefits, challenges, and opportunities associated with a new weekly insulin therapy, specially within the Brazilian context.

Health risk factors among adult individuals with and without diabetes in Brazil: Vigitel (2020-2023)

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze the risk factors associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) among Brazilian adults.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Data of 75,860 Brazilian adults (≥18 years) were collected using the Surveillance System for Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigitel) (2020-2023). Variables assessed included self-reported medical diagnosis of DM, sociodemographic factors (sex, age, schooling, marital status) and DM risk factors (regular consumption of sweetened beverages (≥5 times/week), infrequent consumption of fruits and vegetables, and beans (<5 times/week), insufficient physical activity, prolonged screen time on cell phones, computers, tablets (CCT), and television (TV), smoking, heavy episodic drinking, excess weight, and obesity). Logistic regression models estimated crude and adjusted odds ratio (aOR) (adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics) for the association between the risk factors and the presence of DM.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of self-reported DM in the population was 9.2%. There was a lower chance of regular consumption of sweetened beverages (aOR 0.79; 95% CI: 0.65-0.97) and heavy episodic drinking (aOR 0.77; 95% CI: 0.65-0.93) and a greater chance of insufficient physical activity (aOR 1.40; 95% CI: 1.25-1.55), prolonged TV screen time (aOR 1.22; 95% CI: 1.09-1.36), excess weight (aOR 1.62; 95% CI: 1.44-1.82) and obesity (aOR 1.87; 95% CI: 1.67-2.10) among individuals with DM.

CONCLUSION

There was a lower chance of regular consumption of sweetened beverages and heavy episodic drinking among individuals with DM and a greater chance of insufficient physical activity, prolonged TV screen time, excess weight, and obesity, among that.

Glycemic outcomes of people with diabetes mellitus in Brazilian primary health care

Background

The capillary blood glucose monitoring program at home a challenge in primary health care. Therefore, it is fundamental to identify the glycemic control of people with diabetes mellitus through HBA1c and to analyze its associated factors.

Objective

To identify the glycemic profile of people with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) through HbA1c and analyze factors associated.

Materials & methods

Cross-sectional study developed in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. Secondary data from the electronic health record of people registered in the Primary Health Care system were used. A sample of 3181 participants was obtained. People with HbA1c < 7.0% (53 mmol/mol) were considered to have adequate glycemic control. For people aged ≥ 55 years, a less stringent target, < 8.0% (64 mmol/mol), was also considered. The odds ratio was the measure of effect analyzed with their respective 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI).

Results

Adequate glycemic control with HbA1c < 7.0% (53 mmol/mol) was found in 44.8% of people and, when using the less rigid target, HbA1c < 8.0% (64 mmol/mol) for people aged ≥ 55 years-old, 70.6% had adequate glycemic control. Age and drug therapy were associated with adequate glycemic control (p < 0.001), which was more frequent among older people and those who used only metformin.

Conclusion

The study shows that the achievement of adequate glycemic control is still a challenge, especially with regard to younger people and those who use insulin.

Prevalence of prediabetes in adults and its association with sociodemographic, nutritional, metabolic and mental disorders factors: Home Health Survey, Piauí, Brazil

ABSTRACT Objective To estimate prevalence of prediabetes and to investigate its associated factors in adults living in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil Methods Cross-sectional, home-based study, with both genders adults in Teresina, Piauí. The prevalence of prediabetes was estimated using the fasting glucose test, and was classified according to the American Diabetes Association standards (≥100mg/dL; <126mg/dL). The associations between prediabetes and the variables: sociodemographic, anthropometric, food consumption, blood pressure levels, triglycerides and common mental disorders were tested. In addition, a variable was created to verify the association of the simultaneous presence of risk factors in the same individual. Data were reviewed using Pearson’s chi-square test and Poisson regression for crude and adjusted prevalence ratios, considering a significance level of 5%. Results A total of 224 adults participated in the study, of which 154 (68.7%) were female, aged between 20 and 39 years (53.1%). An 8.04% prevalence of prediabetes was observed. A statistically significant association (p<0.05) was found between lower education (0 to 8 years of study; 17.3%) and increased triglycerides levels (≥150mg/dL; 13.7%). Higher gross prevalence (PR: 2.53; CI 95%: 1.05-6.05) prediabetes ratios were observed with 5 or more simultaneous risk factors when compared to individuals who had up to 4 simultaneous risk factors. Conclusion Low schooling, hypertriglyceridemia and the presence of five or more simultaneous risk factors were associated with prediabetes; however, these risk factors are subject to intervention. Therefore, this study points to the need for changes in lifestyle habits as a strategy for glycemic control and diabetes prevention.

The Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Medicine Fufang Zhenzhu Tiaozhi Capsule (FTZ) in the Treatment of Diabetic Coronary Heart Disease: Study Protocol for Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND

Diabetic coronary heart disease (DCHD), the main macrovascular complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is greatly harmful to T2DM patients. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative and effective therapy to delay the development of macrovascular diseases, but the existing evidence of its efficacy and safety is insufficient. The aim of this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese Medicine Fufang Zhenzhu Tiaozhi capsule (FTZ) in treating DCHD.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study includes a 2-week run-in, 52-week treatment, and 52-week post-treatment follow-up. A total of 160 participants will be recruited and randomized into two groups. The treatment group will receive FTZ and basic treatment, while the control group will receive the placebo and basic treatment. The primary outcome is the combined outcome including the major adverse cardiovascular events, coronary restenosis, and unplanned revascularization. The combined secondary outcomes include all-cause mortality, acute coronary syndrome, ischemic stroke, heart failure, unplanned re-hospitalization mainly caused by acute complications of diabetes, other thromboembolic events, and TCM symptom indicators. The safety outcomes and adverse events will also be evaluated in this trial.

DISCUSSION

This trial evaluates the clinical effectiveness and safety of FTZ in patients with DCHD. The results are important to further explore the effectiveness of the comprehensive strategy "Tiao Gan Qi Shu Hua Zhuo" (modulating Gan, trigging key metabolic system to resolve pathogenic factors such as phlegm retention and dampness) in the prevention and control of glucolipid metabolic disorders (GLMD) including DCHD and T2DM. On the other hand, this study is the first trial of FTZ to observe cardiovascular outcomes through long-term follow-up after treatment of DCHD, which is of great value.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This trial was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on April 07, 2019 (No. ChiCTR1900022345).

Association between control of diabetes mellitus and polypharmacy at the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

PURPOSE

To determine whether desirable diabetes control is associated with polypharmacy and to evaluate potential drug interactions (DI) in participants with diabetes mellitus in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study on Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 1418 participants with medical diagnosis of diabetes at study baseline (2008-2010). Polypharmacy was defined as the use of ≥5 drugs. We described the frequency of the most common pharmacological groups used by patients and the potential DI.The association between desirable diabetes control (normal A1c, blood pressure and lipid levels) and polypharmacy was investigated using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Most participants were men (52.5%), mean age 57.6 (SD 8.4) years, educated to the university level (39.4%), and self-reported as white (42.9%). In this study, 7.1% (n = 101) of participants had desirable control of diabetes, while 40.4% (n = 573) used polypharmacy, and this use was not significantly associated with better diabetes control (adjusted odds ratio (OR = 1.35 [95%CI 0.86-2.13] P = .19).The pharmacological groups most frequently used were oral antidiabetics followed by acetylsalicylic acid, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) and statins.The prevalence of potentially mild, moderate and severe DI were, respectively, 2.5%, 14.7% and 0.9%; however, in the desirable control of DM group, these potential DI were related to comorbidity control.

CONCLUSION

Faced with the importance of achieving optimal control of diabetes and minimizing risks of potential DI, these results, which are in keeping with previous findings described in the literature, might indicate that guidelines for the patient-centered management of control of diabetes must be revised.

[Use of the health services according to social determinants, health behaviors and quality of life among diabetics]

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of health services according to social determinants, health behaviors and quality of life among diabetics (n = 416) attended by the Family Health Strategy in a northeastern city in Brazil. Data analysis included descriptive, bivariate and multivariate statistics. Decision Tree modeling was applied using the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) algorithm. Results showed that public health services were used by 80.7% of the sample. The regular use of public health services involved individuals with low or medium schooling (p < 0.001), employed or retired and/or pensioners (p = 0.019), with a high impact of diabetes on quality of life (p = 0.032), and who performed the number of fasting blood glucose tests per year recommended by the Ministry of Health (p < 0.001). The use of health services could be explained by differences related to social determinants, health behaviors and the impact of diabetes on quality of life.