OBJECTIVE—To determine prevalence estimates in order to monitor diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, in American Indian youth. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—To explore the feasibility of developing a case definition using information from primary care records, all youth aged <20 years with an outpatient visit or hospitalization for diabetes were identified from the Billings Area Indian Health Service database in Montana and Wyoming from 1997 to 1999, and the medical records were reviewed. Classification for probable type 1 diabetes was based on age ≤5 years, weight per age ≤15th percentile at diagnosis, or positive results of islet cell antibody test. Classification for probable type 2 diabetes was based on weight per age ≥85th percentile or presence of acanthosis nigricans at diagnosis, elevated C-peptide or insulin, family history for type 2 diabetes, or use of oral hypoglycemic agents with or without insulin or absence of current treatment 1 year after diagnosis. RESULTS—A total of 52 case subjects with diabetes were identified, 3 of whom had diabetes secondary to other conditions. Of the remaining 49 case subjects, 25 (51%) were categorized as having probable type 2 diabetes, 14 (29%) as having probable type 1 diabetes, and 10 (20%) could not be categorized because of missing or negative information. Prevalence estimates for diabetes of all types, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes were 2.3, 0.6, and 1.1, respectively, per 1,000 youth aged <20 years. CONCLUSIONS—Our definitions may be useful for surveillance in primary care settings until further studies develop feasible case definitions for monitoring trends in diabetes among youth.
The 2018 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) 3rd expert report highlights up-to-date Cancer Prevention Recommendations that may reduce burdens of many chronic diseases, including diabetes. This study examined if following a lifestyle that aligns with the recommendations - assessed via the 2018 WCRF/AICR Score - was associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes in high-risk adults participating in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS).The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) randomized adults at high risk for diabetes to receive a lifestyle intervention (ILS), metformin (MET) or a placebo (PLB) (mean: 3.2 years), with additional follow-up in DPPOS for 11 years (mean: 15 years total). 2018 WCRF/AICR Scores included seven components: body weight, physical activity, plant-based foods, fast foods, red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and alcohol; the optional breastfeeding component was excluded. Scores ranged 0-7 points (with greater scores indicating greater alignment with the recommendations) and were estimated at years 0, 1, 5, 6, 9, and 15 (N=3,147). Fasting glucose and HbA1c were measured every six months and oral glucose tolerance tests were performed annually. Adjusted Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to examine the association of both Score changes from years 0-1 and time-dependent Score changes on diabetes risk through DPP and year 15.Scores improved within all groups over 15 years (p<0.001); ILS Scores improved more than MET or PLB Scores after 1 year (p<0.001). For every 1-unit improvement from years 0-1, there was a 31% and 15% lower diabetes risk in ILS (95% CI: 0.56-0.84) and PLB (95% CI: 0.72-0.97) through DPP, and no significant association in MET. Associations were greatest among American Indian participants, followed by non-Hispanic White and Hispanic participants. Score changes from years 0-1 and time-dependent Score changes in ILS and PLB remained associated with lower risk through year 15.Score improvements were associated with long-term, lower diabetes risk among high-risk adults randomized to ILS and PLB, but not MET. Future research should explore impact of the Score on cancer risk.Diabetes Prevention Program: NCT00004992 ; Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study: NCT00038727.
OBJECTIVE To assess associations between distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSPN) and Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) treatment groups, diabetes status or duration, and cumulative glycemic exposure approximately 21 years after DPP randomization. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In the DPP, 3,234 adults ≥25 years old at high risk for diabetes were randomized to an intensive lifestyle (ILS), metformin, or placebo intervention to prevent diabetes. After the DPP ended, 2,779 joined the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS). Open-label metformin was continued, placebo was discontinued, ILS was provided in the form of semiannual group-based classes, and all participants were offered quarterly lifestyle classes. Symptoms and signs of DSPN were assessed in 1,792 participants at DPPOS year 17. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate DSPN associations with treatment group, diabetes status/duration, and cumulative glycemic exposure. RESULTS At 21 years after DPP randomization, 66% of subjects had diabetes. DSPN prevalence did not differ by initial DPP treatment assignment (ILS 21.5%, metformin 21.5%, and placebo 21.9%). There was a significant interaction between treatment assignment to ILS and age (P < 0.05) on DSPN. At DPPOS year 17, the odds ratio for DSPN in comparison with ILS with placebo was 17.4% (95% CI 3.0, 29.3) lower with increasing 5-year age intervals. DSPN prevalence was slightly lower for those at risk for diabetes (19.6%) versus those with diabetes (22.7%) and was associated with longer diabetes duration and time-weighted HbA1c (P values <0.001). CONCLUSIONS The likelihood of DSPN was similar across DPP treatment groups but higher for those with diabetes, longer diabetes duration, and higher cumulative glycemic exposure. ILS may have long-term benefits on DSPN for older adults.
In 1986, a diabetes control program was implemented in the Billings area of the IHS. Baseline health-care practices in the program were described using a structured audit. The program included adoption of the IHS Minimum Standards of Care for diabetes, technical assistance, and professional and patient education. A second audit was performed in 1988. Care practices improved significantly for all facilities in 7 of 10 parameters measured. Facilities that implemented key program activities showed more overall improvement in screening practices, education, and immunization than those that did not organize diabetes care. Factors associated with improved care practices include establishment of a coordinated, multidisciplinary diabetes team with regular meetings, acceptance of standards of care by the medical staff, use of flow sheets by multiple providers, and diabetes-related professional and patient education sessions.
To evaluate prospectively a risk categorization scheme for lower-extremity problems that incorporates the Semmes-Weinstein 5.07 monofilament and a simple exam to stratify patients who were followed in a primary-care setting into risk groups for plantar ulceration and lower-extremity amputation.Patients with diabetes in a well-defined American-Indian population were stratified into four risk categories based on sensation status to the 5.07 monofilament, the presence of foot deformity, and a history of lower-extremity events (amputation or ulceration): category 0, sensate; category 1, insensate; category 2, insensate with deformity; and category 3, history of lower extremity events. Patients were followed prospectively for lower extremity events and changes in sensation status.We gave screening exams to 358 (88%) of 406 individuals with diabetes in the community. The distribution of patients for risk categories 0, 1, 2, and 3 was 74.3, 8.4, 4.5, and 13%, respectively. Over a 32-mo follow-up period, 41 patients developed ulcerations, and incidence rates correlated positively with increasing risk category (P less than 0.00001). All 14 amputations occurred in risk groups 2 and 3.These data suggest that the risk categorization described here may have a role in identifying patients at risk for lower extremity events who are followed in a primary-care setting.
Although early descriptions of diabetes mellitus among Navajo Indians characterized the disease as an infrequent and "benign chemical abnormality," the prevalence of diabetes and its complications among Navajos appears to have increased substantially in this century. We reviewed recent Indian Health Service inpatient and ambulatory care data and compared these data with previous reports. Of the estimated Navajo population aged 45 years or older, 4,331 (16.9%) had an ambulatory care visit for diabetes between October 1, 1986, and September 30, 1987. Diabetes was coded for 1,041 (7.0%) of hospital admissions of persons aged 20 and older. Of 377 lower-extremity amputations done from 1978 to 1987, diabetes was involved in 245 (66%). The 1986 age-adjusted mortality rate from diabetes was 30.3 per 100,000, approximately twice that for the general US population. The explanation for the increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus among Navajos probably relates to an increasing prevalence of obesity.