<i>Objective: </i>To quantify the relationship of residual C-peptide secretion to glycemic outcomes and microvascular complications in type 1 diabetes. <p><i>Design and Methods: </i>C-peptide was measured in an untimed blood sample in the SDRNT1BIO cohort of 6076 people with type 1 diabetes followed for an average of 5.2 years. </p> <p><i>Results: </i>In regression models adjusted for age at onset and duration, effect sizes for C-peptide ≥200 versus <5 pmol/l were as follows: insulin dose at baseline 27% lower (p=2×10−39), HbA1c during follow-up 4.9 mmol/mol lower (p=3×10−13), hazard ratio for hospital admission for diabetic ketoacidosis during follow-up 0.44 (p=0.0001), odds ratio for incident retinopathy 0.51 (p=0.0003). Effects on risk of serious hypoglycemic episodes were detectable at lower levels of C-peptide, and the form of the relationship was continuous down to the limit of detection (3 pmol/l). In regression models contrasting C-peptide 30 to <200 with <5 pmol/l, the odds ratio for self-report of at least one serious hypoglycemic episode in the last year was 0.56 (p=6×10−8), and the hazard ratio for hospital admission for hypoglycemia during follow-up was 0.52 (p=0.03). </p> <p><i>Conclusion: </i>These results in a large representative cohort suggest that even minimal residual C-peptide secretion could have clinical benefit in type 1 diabetes, in contrast to a follow-up study of the DCCT intensively-treated cohort where an effect on hypoglycemia was seen only at C-peptide levels ≥130 pmol/l. This has obvious implications for design and evaluation of trials of interventions to preserve or restore pancreatic islet function in type 1 diabetes. </p>
The current COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, represents the largest medical challenge in decades. It has exposed unexpected cardiovascular vulnerabilities at all stages of the disease (pre-infection, acute phase, and subsequent chronic phase). The major cardiometabolic drivers identified as having epidemiologic and mechanistic associations with COVID-19 are abnormal adiposity, dysglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Hypertension is of particular interest, because components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which are critically involved in the pathophysiology of hypertension, are also implicated in COVID-19. Specifically, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), a multifunctional protein of the RAS, which is part of the protective axis of the RAS, is also the receptor through which SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells, causing viral infection. Cardiovascular and cardiometabolic comorbidities not only predispose people to COVID-19, but also are complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, increasing evidence indicates that acute kidney injury is common in COVID-19, occurs early and in temporal association with respiratory failure, and is associated with poor prognosis, especially in the presence of cardiovascular risk factors. Here, we discuss cardiovascular and kidney disease in the context of COVID-19 and provide recent advances on putative pathophysiological mechanisms linking cardiovascular disease and COVID-19, focusing on the RAS and ACE2, as well as the immune system and inflammation. We provide up-to-date information on the relationships among hypertension, diabetes, and COVID-19 and emphasize the major cardiovascular diseases associated with COVID-19. We also briefly discuss emerging cardiovascular complications associated with long COVID-19, notably postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
Insulin resistance (IR) is implicated as an independent risk factor for vascular disease. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of family history (FH) of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and/or cardiovascular disease (CVD) on the associations between IR, low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and subclinical atherosclerosis (common and internal carotid artery intima media thickness (IMT)) in healthy European adults.
Methods
Participants (n=1048) in the Relationship between Insulin Sensitivity and Cardiovascular disease (RISC) study were grouped according to family history of: (i) type 2 diabetes (FH-T2DM); (ii) cardiovascular disease (FH-CVD); (iii) both (FH-BOTH); or (iv) neither (CON). Insulin resistance (M-value, hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp), LDL-C and IMT were examined in relation to FH in all available participants, and then within subcohorts (highest quintiles) with higher LDL-C (>3.5 mmol/l (>135 mg/dl), n=252) or greater IR (M-value<5 mg/min/kg, n=299).
Results
Carotid IMTs were comparable across the four FH groups, but insulin sensitivity (M-value) was lower (p<0.01) in FH-T2DM (6.1±2.6 mg/min/kg than in either CON (6.9±2.9 mg/min/kg) or FH-CVD (7.1±2.7 mg/min/kg). Within the highest LDL-C quintile, those with FH-CVD (or FH-BOTH) had higher common and internal carotid IMT (6–12%, p<0.05 vs CON). In contrast, within the most IR quintile, FH-CVD was not associated with IMT.
Conclusion
In this cross-sectional analysis, family history of T2DM (but not of CVD) was associated with IR. In the presence of elevated LDL-C, FH-CVD (but not FH-T2DM) was associated with increased carotid IMT.
Whether advances in the management of type 1 diabetes are reducing rates of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is unclear. We investigated time trends in DKA rates in a national cohort of individuals with type 1 diabetes monitored for 14 years, overall and by socioeconomic characteristics.All individuals in Scotland with type 1 diabetes who were alive and at least 1 year old between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2018 were identified using the national register (N = 37,939). DKA deaths and hospital admissions were obtained through linkage to Scottish national death and morbidity records. Bayesian regression was used to test for DKA time trends and association with risk markers, including socioeconomic deprivation.There were 30,427 DKA admissions and 472 DKA deaths observed over 393,223 person-years at risk. DKA event rates increased over the study period (incidence rate ratio [IRR] per year 1.058 [95% credibility interval 1.054-1.061]). Males had lower rates than females (IRR male-to-female 0.814 [0.776-0.855]). DKA incidence rose in all age-groups other than 10- to 19-year-olds, in whom rates were the highest, but fell over the study. There was a large socioeconomic differential (IRR least-to-most deprived quintile 0.446 [0.406-0.490]), which increased during follow-up. Insulin pump use or completion of structured education were associated with lower DKA rates, and antidepressant and methadone prescription were associated with higher DKA rates.DKA incidence has risen since 2004, except in 10- to 19-year-olds. Of particular concern are the strong and widening socioeconomic disparities in DKA outcomes. Efforts to prevent DKA, especially in vulnerable groups, require strengthening.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the performance of five cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk scores developed in diabetes populations and compare their performance to QRISK2. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A cohort of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 2004 and 2016 was identified from the Scottish national diabetes register. CVD events were identified using linked hospital and death records. Five-year risk of CVD was estimated using each of QRISK2, ADVANCE (Action in Diabetes and Vascular disease: preterAx and diamicroN-MR Controlled Evaluation), Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), New Zealand Diabetes Cohort Study (NZ DCS), Fremantle Diabetes Study, and Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR) risk scores. Discrimination and calibration were assessed using the Harrell C statistic and calibration plots, respectively. RESULTS The external validation cohort consisted of 181,399 people with type 2 diabetes and no history of CVD. There were 14,081 incident CVD events within 5 years of follow-up. The 5-year observed risk of CVD was 9.7% (95% CI 9.6, 9.9). C statistics varied between 0.66 and 0.67 for all risk scores. QRISK2 overestimated risk, classifying 87% to be at high risk for developing CVD within 5 years; ADVANCE underestimated risk, and the Swedish NDR risk score calibrated well to observed risk. CONCLUSIONS None of the risk scores performed well among people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Using these risk scores to predict 5-year CVD risk in this population may not be appropriate.