Health related quality of life and healthcare utilization among adults with diabetes and kidney and eye complications in the United States

Polypharmacy in chronic kidney disease: Health outcomes & pharmacy-based strategies to mitigate inappropriate polypharmacy

The rising prevalence of comorbidities in an increasingly aging population has sparked a reciprocal rise in polypharmacy. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a greater burden of polypharmacy due to the comorbidities and complications associated with their disease. Polypharmacy in CKD patients has been linked to myriad direct and indirect costs for patients and the society at large. Pharmacists are uniquely positioned within the healthcare team to streamline polypharmacy management in the setting of CKD. In this article, we review the landscape of polypharmacy and examine its impacts through the lens of the ECHO model of Economic, Clinical, and Humanistic Outcomes. We also present strategies for healthcare teams to improve polypharmacy care through comprehensive medication management process that includes medication reconciliation during transitions of care, medication therapy management, and deprescribing. These pharmacist-led interventions have the potential to mitigate adverse outcomes associated with polypharmacy in CKD.

Effects of Meditation Intervention on Self-management in Adult Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Diabetes complications are prevalent and cause adverse effects on the physical, psychological, and economic status of adult patients with type 2 diabetes. Meditation may positively affect self-management and, in turn, reduce diabetes complications. However, the systematic examination of the effects of meditation without additional components on self-management in this population have been rarely examined.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of meditation interventions on self-management (ie, control of glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, and obesity and self-management) among adult patients with type 2 diabetes in randomized controlled trials.

METHODS

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, 6 electronic databases were searched using major keywords of meditation , diabetes , and self-management during March 2022.

RESULTS

Eight studies (9 articles) using mindfulness-based meditation were included. The meta-analysis showed that meditation improved hemoglobin A 1c (effect size = -0.75; 95% confidence interval, -1.30 to -0.21; P = .007) but not fasting blood glucose. Only a few studies examined meditation effects on other types of self-management (eg, blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, diet, exercise, foot care, and monitoring of blood glucose), and the effects were inconsistent. In 1 study, meditation improved diabetes self-management.

CONCLUSIONS

Mindfulness-based meditation reduced hemoglobin A 1c levels in adult patients with type 2 diabetes but did not consistently improve other types of self-management in a few studies examined. This may imply the need for additional intervention components to improve different types of self-management. Further studies are needed to examine the effects of different types of meditations with additional components on different types of self-management.

A prediction model of CKD progression among individuals with type 2 diabetes in the United States

BACKGROUND

CKD progression among individuals with T2D is associated with poor health outcomes and high healthcare costs, which have not been fully studied. This study aimed to predict CKD progression among individuals with diabetes.

METHOD

Using ACCORD trial data, a time-varying Cox model was developed to predict the risk of CKD progression among patients with CKD and T2D. CKD progression was defined as a 50 % decline, or 25 mL/min/1.73 m² decline in eGFR from baseline, doubling of the serum creatinine, or onset of ESKD. A list of candidate variables included demographic characteristics, physical exam results, laboratory results, medical history, drug use, and healthcare utilization. A stepwise algorithm was used for variable selection. Model performance was evaluated by Brier score and C-statistics. Confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a bootstrap method. Decomposition analysis was conducted to assess the predictor contribution. Generalizability was assessed on patient-level data of the Harmony Outcome trial and CRIC study.

RESULTS

A total of 6982 diabetes patients with CKD were used for model development, with a median follow-up of 4 years and 3346 events. The predictors for CKD progression included female sex, age at T2D diagnosis, smoking status, SBP, DBP, HR, HbA1c, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), eGFR, UACR, retinopathy event, hospitalization. The model demonstrated good discrimination (C-statistics 0.745 [95 % CI 0.723-0.763]) and calibration (Brier Score 0.0923 [95 % CI 0.0873-0.0965]) performance in the ACCORD data. The most contributing predictors for CKD progression were eGFR, HbA1c, and SBP. The model demonstrated acceptable discrimination and calibration performance in the two external data.

CONCLUSION

For high-risk patients with both diabetes and CKD, the tool as a dynamic risk prediction of CKD progression may help develop novel strategies to lower the risk of CKD progression.

Health-Related Quality of Life and Healthcare Events in Patients with Monotherapy of Anti-Diabetes Medications

This study aimed to examine the difference in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and diabetes-related healthcare events (HCEs) among adults with diabetes who were on metformin, sulfonylurea, insulin, or thiazolidinedione (TZD) monotherapy. The data were sourced from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Diabetes patients ≥18 years old who had a complete record of physical component score and mental component scores in round 2 and round 4 of the survey were included. The primary outcome was HRQOL of diabetes patients as measured by the Medical Outcome Study short-form (SF-12v2^TM). Multinomial logistic regression and negative binomial regression were conducted to determine associated factors of HRQOL and HCE, respectively. Overall, 5387 patients were included for analysis. Nearly 60% of patients had unchanged HRQOL after the follow-up, whereas almost 15% to 20% of patients showed improvement in HRQOL. The relative risk of declined mental HRQOL was 1.5 times higher relative to unchanged mental HRQOL in patients who were on sulfonylurea 1.55 [1.1-2.17, p = 0.01] than metformin users. The rate of HCE decreased by a factor of 0.79, [95% CI: 0.63-0.99] in patients with no history of hypertension. Patients on sulfonylurea 1.53 [1.20-1.95, <0.01], insulin 2.00 [1.55-2.70, <0.01], and TZD 1.78 [1.23-2.58, <0.01] had increased risk of HCE compared to patients who were on metformin. In general, antidiabetic medications modestly improved HRQOL in patients with diabetes during the follow-up period. Metformin had a lower rate of HCE as compared to other medications. The selection of anti-diabetes medications should focus on HRQOL in addition to controlling glucose level.

Prevalence and global trends of polypharmacy in patients with chronic kidney disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and objectives: Polypharmacy and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are becoming increasingly common due to an ageing population and the rise of multimorbidity. In line with the therapeutic guidelines, managing CKD and its complications necessitates prescribing multiple medications, which predisposes patients to polypharmacy. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to describe the prevalence of polypharmacy in patients with CKD and to explore the global trends of factors driving any apparent variability in prevalence estimates. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), and Google Scholar were searched from 1999 to November 2021. Study selection, data extraction, and critical appraisal were conducted by two independent reviewers. The pooled prevalence of polypharmacy was estimated utilizing the random effects model using the default double arcsine transformation. Results: This review involved 14 studies comprising of 17 201 participants, a significant proportion of which were males (56.12%). The mean age of the review population was 61.96 (SD ± 11.51) years. The overall pooled prevalence of polypharmacy amongst patients with CKD was 69% (95% CI: 49%-86%) (I² = 100%, p < 0.0001), with a proportionately higher prevalence in North America and Europe as compared to Asia. Conclusion: The results from this meta-analysis showed a high pooled prevalence estimates of polypharmacy amongst patient cohorts with CKD. The exact interventions that are likely to significantly mitigate its effect remain uncertain and will need exploration by future prospective and systematic studies. Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [CRD42022306572].

Aerobic Versus Resistance Training: Leptin and Metabolic Parameters Improvement in Type 2 Diabetes Obese Men

Purpose: The purpose of the research was to determine the changes in metabolic parameters, leptin, and irisin levels after aerobic and resistance training in type-2 diabetes obese men. Methods: Forty-five participants in the age range of 17-25 years were randomized into three groups: aerobic training (AT), resistance training (RT), and control (CO). All training sessions were fulfilled 4 days per week for two months. The aerobic training began with intensity of 65% of the maximum aerobic power and finished with 90%. The resistance program started with 50% of one-repetition maximum and reached 70% in the 8th week. Results: Factorial analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc test revealed significant decreases in leptin (p = .043), fasting blood sugar (FBS) (p = .023), insulin (p = .001), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (p = .022) in AT compared with CO and insulin (p = .006) in AT compared with RT. The change of percent body fat (PBF) was positively correlated only with change of HOMA-IR in AT group (p = .032) at p < .05. Conclusion: The result suggests that, compared to resistance training, aerobic training can control metabolic situations such as insulin resistance through the leptin hormone function, and not irisin in type-2 diabetes obese men.

Is it time to consider depression as a major complication of type 2 diabetes? Evidence from a large population-based cohort study

AIMS

Depression in type 2 diabetes may heavily affect the course of the disease. In this study, we investigated, among new cases with type 2 diabetes, the incidence and clinical predictors of depression and determined the extent to which depression constitutes a risk factor for acute and long-term diabetes complications and mortality.

METHODS

In this population-based retrospective cohort study, incident cases of type 2 diabetes without a prior history of depression were identified from the administrative databases of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy, between 2008 and 2017 and followed up until 2020. Logistic regression models were used to identify the predictors of depression. Cox regression models were used to estimate the risk of acute complications over three years, and the risk of long-term complications and mortality over ten years.

RESULTS

Incident cases with type 2 diabetes were 30,815, of whom 5146 (16.7%) developed depression. The predictors of depression onset were as follows: female sex, age > 65 years, living in rural areas and comorbid diseases. Depression in type 2 diabetes was associated with a 2.3-fold risk of developing acute complications, 1.6-fold risk of developing long-term complications and 2.8-fold mortality risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight that depression is associated with an increased risk for complications in type 2 diabetes and mortality and should not be neglected. Therefore, it is important to promote screening activities and introduce targeted and personalized treatment for depression in order to reduce the risk of poor short- and long-term outcomes of diabetes.

Noninfectious Intermediate, Posterior, or Panuveitis: Results from the Retrospective, Observational, International EyeCOPE Study

Introduction

The EyeCOPE study characterized noninfectious intermediate posterior, or panuveitis (NIIPPU) before biologic agents were widely available.

Methods

This retrospective, observational study included adults with NIIPPU attending a routine ophthalmological visit. Data were collected from the study visit and medical records.

Results

Of 565 patients, 58.8% were female, and the mean age was 41.3 years; 33.8% had idiopathic uveitis and 45.8% had panuveitis. The median time from symptom onset to diagnosis and treatment was 27.0 and 30.5 days, respectively. Patients received immunosuppressants and systemic/local corticosteroids. Most patients experienced substantial decline in ocular function (mean best corrected visual acuity, 0.4 logMAR). Mean total work productivity impairment among employed patients was 31.0%. Most patients reported ocular complications (70.8%) such as vision loss and cataracts.

Conclusions

Despite treatment, most patients with NIIPPU experienced a decline in ocular function and ocular complications. There is an unmet need for additional NIIPPU treatment, such as targeted monoclonal antibodies.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40123-021-00351-4.