Prediabetes-A Risk Factor Twice Removed

Information avoidance: An interchangeable strategy of self-protection

Across two studies, using five samples (N = 1,850), we examined whether health information avoidance-the deliberate decision to remain ignorant of available but unwanted personal health information-serves a defensive purpose and is interchangeable with other defensive strategies. We tested this idea by examining the relationship between health information avoidance-both as a dispositional tendency and deliberate decision-and feedback derogation. In Study 1, we experimentally demonstrated that a situation known to reduce defensiveness-self-uncertainty-decreased both proactive avoidance and reactive defensiveness relative to a control group. Study 2 demonstrated, across four samples, that people with a greater defensive orientation toward personal health information were more likely to derogate health information. These results are consistent with the idea that feedback derogation replaced the decision to avoid feedback. Together, results suggest that health information avoidance is likely part of a broader self-protective system and is replaceable with other motivated self-protection strategies.

Associations Between Frailty and the Increased Risk of Adverse Outcomes Among 38,950 UK Biobank Participants With Prediabetes: Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Compared with adults with normal glucose metabolism, those with prediabetes tend to be frail. However, it remains poorly understood whether frailty could identify adults who are most at risk of adverse outcomes related to prediabetes.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to systematically evaluate the associations between frailty, a simple health indicator, and risks of multiple adverse outcomes including incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), diabetes-related microvascular disease, cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), eye disease, dementia, depression, and all-cause mortality in late life among middle-aged adults with prediabetes.

METHODS

We evaluated 38,950 adults aged 40 years to 64 years with prediabetes using the baseline survey from the UK Biobank. Frailty was assessed using the frailty phenotype (FP; range 0-5), and participants were grouped into nonfrail (FP=0), prefrail (1≤FP≤2), and frail (FP≥3). Multiple adverse outcomes (ie, T2DM, diabetes-related microvascular disease, CVD, CKD, eye disease, dementia, depression, and all-cause mortality) were ascertained during a median follow-up of 12 years. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the associations. Several sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the results.

RESULTS

At baseline, 49.1% (19,122/38,950) and 5.9% (2289/38,950) of adults with prediabetes were identified as prefrail and frail, respectively. Both prefrailty and frailty were associated with higher risks of multiple adverse outcomes in adults with prediabetes (P for trend <.001). For instance, compared with their nonfrail counterparts, frail participants with prediabetes had a significantly higher risk (P<.001) of T2DM (hazard ratio [HR]=1.73, 95% CI 1.55-1.92), diabetes-related microvascular disease (HR=1.89, 95% CI 1.64-2.18), CVD (HR=1.66, 95% CI 1.44-1.91), CKD (HR=1.76, 95% CI 1.45-2.13), eye disease (HR=1.31, 95% CI 1.14-1.51), dementia (HR=2.03, 95% CI 1.33-3.09), depression (HR=3.01, 95% CI 2.47-3.67), and all-cause mortality (HR=1.81, 95% CI 1.51-2.16) in the multivariable-adjusted models. Furthermore, with each 1-point increase in FP score, the risk of these adverse outcomes increased by 10% to 42%. Robust results were generally observed in sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

In UK Biobank participants with prediabetes, both prefrailty and frailty are significantly associated with higher risks of multiple adverse outcomes, including T2DM, diabetes-related diseases, and all-cause mortality. Our findings suggest that frailty assessment should be incorporated into routine care for middle-aged adults with prediabetes, to improve the allocation of health care resources and reduce diabetes-related burden.

Using an optimized generative model to infer the progression of complications in type 2 diabetes patients

Background

People live a long time in pre-diabetes/early diabetes without a formal diagnosis or management. Heterogeneity of progression coupled with deficiencies in electronic health records related to incomplete data, discrete events, and irregular event intervals make identification of pre-diabetes and critical points of diabetes progression challenging.

Methods

We utilized longitudinal electronic health records of 9298 patients with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes from 2005 to 2016 from a large regional healthcare delivery network in China. We optimized a generative Markov-Bayesian-based model to generate 5000 synthetic illness trajectories. The synthetic data were manually reviewed by endocrinologists.

Results

We build an optimized generative progression model for type 2 diabetes using anchor information to reduce the number of parameters learning in the third layer of the model from \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$O\left(N\times W\right)$$\end{document}ON×W to \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$O\left((N-C)\times W\right)$$\end{document}O(N-C)×W, where \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$N$$\end{document}N is the number of clinical findings, \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$W$$\end{document}W is the number of complications, \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$C$$\end{document}C is the number of anchors. Based on this model, we infer the relationships between progression stages, the onset of complication categories, and the associated diagnoses during the whole progression of type 2 diabetes using electronic health records.

Discussion

Our findings indicate that 55.3% of single complications and 31.8% of complication patterns could be predicted early and managed appropriately to potentially delay (as it is a progressive disease) or prevented (by lifestyle modifications that keep patient from developing/triggering diabetes in the first place).

Conclusions

The full type 2 diabetes patient trajectories generated by the chronic disease progression model can counter a lack of real-world evidence of desired longitudinal timeframe while facilitating population health management.

Long-term risks for cardiovascular disease and mortality across the glycaemic spectrum in a male-predominant Chinese cohort aged 75 years or older: the Kailuan study

BACKGROUND

Ageing and diabetes are growing global health burdens. The current understanding of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality risk across the glycaemic spectrum in older populations is limited.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to characterise CVD and all-cause mortality risk across the glycaemic spectrum among Chinese adults aged 75 years or older in a community-based setting over10 years.

METHODS

The 3,989 adults in the Kailuan Study were aged over 75 years (median age was 79 years [interquartile range: 76-82]; 2,785 normoglycaemic, 691 prediabetic and 513 diabetic, determined by fasting blood glucose levels) at baseline, predominantly male (92.9% male) and followed until December 2019. Time-varying Cox regression and competing-risk models were used to examine the hazard ratio (HR) of incident CVD and mortality across the glycaemic exposures.

RESULTS

During median follow-up of 11.3 years, 433 first CVD and 2,222 deaths were recorded. Compared with normoglycaemia, multivariable-adjusted models revealed the following: (i) prediabetes was not associated with future risks for CVD (HR: 1.17; 95% CI 0.82-1.69) and all-cause mortality (HR 1.06; 95% CI 0.70-1.60); (ii) diabetes-associated enhanced risks for CVD and all-cause mortality were mainly confined to those exhibiting low-grade inflammation (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ≥2.0 mg/L) levels. The results were consistent after multiple sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Among a male-predominant Chinese population aged 75 years or older, compared with normoglycaemic participants, prediabetes was not associated with an enhanced 10-year CVD and all-cause mortality risk, and diabetes-associated enhanced 10-year risk was mainly confined to individuals exhibiting low-grade inflammation.

A study to correlate effect of dietary modification on biochemical and cardiovascular parameters among prediabetics

Objectives:

Dietary factors are important in the prevention and treatment of prediabetes and diabetes mellitus (DM). This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence, associated risk factors, dietary modification, and calories consumption calculated by the food frequency questionnaire and correlate them with the metabolic parameters, namely blood glucose, HbA1c, lipid profile, and cardiovascular parameters as heart rate variability and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) among the prediabetics.

Methods:

An experimental interventional study was carried out in the Department of Physiology and Medicine at the RUHS College of Medical Sciences and Associated Group of Hospitals. The assessments were done at baseline and after 6 months of post-dietary modification. The total duration of the study was 6 months. A total of 250 prediabetic subjects were enrolled. Study Group A (n = 125) was engaged in dietary modification, whereas Group B (n = 125) was considered as control. The dietary assessment was done by a food frequency questionnaire.

Result:

After dietary modification, a decrease in the body mass index (1.3%), systolic blood pressure (3.1%), diastolic blood pressure (3.1%), blood glucose (2.8%), triglyceride (2.8%), high density lipoprotein (0.9%), HbA1c (2%), cholesterol (1.4%), and low-frequency/high-frequency ratios (1%), carotid intima media thickness (1.6%), as compared to control, was noticed after 6 months of dietary modification.

Conclusion:

This study suggested that prediabetics required health education including nutritional education as diet modification can play an important role to encourage diabetes-onset prevention and its related complications. The health-care providers and workers should increase the awareness about the importance of diet and encourage the prediabetics toward a healthy lifestyle, which may help in the quality of life and appropriate self-care, primary prevention of diabetes and its complications.

CTRI Registration:

CTRI/2017/06/008825.