Diabetic nephropathy among Mexican Americans

Neighborhood Environment Characteristics and Control of Hypertension and Diabetes in a Primary Care Patient Sample

BACKGROUND

Hypertension control and diabetes control are important for reducing cardiovascular disease burden. A growing body of research suggests an association between neighborhood environment and hypertension or diabetes control among patients engaged in clinical care.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether neighborhood conditions (i.e., healthy food availability, socioeconomic status (SES), and crime) were associated with hypertension and diabetes control.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analyses using electronic medical record (EMR) data, U.S. Census data, and secondary data characterizing neighborhood food environments. Multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders. Analyses were conducted in 2017.

PARTICIPANTS

Five thousand nine hundred seventy adults receiving primary care at three Baltimore City clinics in 2010-2011.

MAIN MEASURES

Census tract-level neighborhood healthy food availability, neighborhood SES, and neighborhood crime. Hypertension control defined as systolic blood pressure < 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg. Diabetes control defined as HgbA1c < 7.

KEY RESULTS

Among patients with hypertension, neighborhood conditions were not associated with lower odds of blood pressure control after accounting for patient and physician characteristics. However, among patients with diabetes, in fully adjusted models accounting for patient and physician characteristics, we found that patients residing in neighborhoods with low and moderate SES had reduced odds of diabetes control (OR = 0.74 (95% CI = 0.57-0.97) and OR = 0.75 (95% CI = 0.57-0.98), respectively) compared to those living in high-SES neighborhoods.

CONCLUSIONS

Neighborhood disadvantage may contribute to poor diabetes control among patients in clinical care. Community-based chronic disease care management strategies to improve diabetes control may be optimally effective if they also address neighborhood SES among patients engaged in care.

Survival analysis to evaluate associations between periodontal disease and the risk of development of chronic azotemic kidney disease in cats evaluated at primary care veterinary hospitals

OBJECTIVE To examine potential associations between periodontal disease (PD) and the risk of development of chronic azotemic kidney disease (CKD) among cats and determine whether the risk of CKD increases with severity of PD. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. ANIMALS 169, 242 cats. PROCEDURES Cats were evaluated ≥ 3 times at any of 829 hospitals from January 1, 2002, through June 30, 2013. Cats with an initial diagnosis of PD of any stage (n = 56,414) were frequency matched with cats that had no history or evidence of PD (112,828) by age and year of study entry. Data on signalment, PD, and other conditions potentially related to CKD were extracted from electronic medical records. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to estimate the association of PD with CKD after controlling for covariates. RESULTS PD was associated with increased risk of CKD; risk was highest for cats with stage 3 or 4 PD. Risk of CKD increased with age. Purebred cats had greater risk of CKD than mixed-breed cats. General anesthesia within the year before study exit and diagnosis of cystitis at any point prior to study exit (including prior to study entry) were each associated with increased CKD risk. Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus or hepatic lipidosis at any point prior to study exit was associated with decreased CKD risk. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The findings supported the benefit of maintaining good oral health and can be useful to veterinarians for educating owners on the importance of preventing PD in cats.

Quality of Life and Depression Among Mexican Americans on Hemodialysis: A Preliminary Report

Health-related quality of life (QOL) and depression burden of Mexican Americans with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are not known. This observational cross-sectional study assessed QOL and depression and examined their inter-relatedness in Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes and ESRD on maintenance hemodialysis (HD) treatment. Prevalent Mexican Americans on HD (N = 40) completed the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form (KDQOL-SF) and the Beck Depression Inventory II. The overall median scores for the mental component summary and the physical component summary scales in the KDQOL-SF were 40.9 and 34.0, respectively. The prevalence of severe depression was 40%. The most significant differences between depressed and non-depressed groups were symptom/problem list, cognitive function, and emotional well- being (P < 0.0001 for all). Mexican Americans with depression endure a more dismal QOL compared to non-depressed peers. Significant negative correlations between depression and several QOL scales underscore plausible interactions between the two conditions which warrants further evaluation.

Comparison of Nutrition Profile and Diet Record Between Veteran and Nonveteran End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Receiving Hemodialysis in Veterans Affairs and Community Clinics in Metropolitan South-Central Texas

BACKGROUND

U.S. military veterans have high rates of chronic disease and social disadvantage, which are risk factors for protein-energy wasting (PEW). It is not known whether this translates into high prevalence of PEW in veterans with end-stage renal disease.

METHODS

We compared the clinical, socioeconomic, and nutrition status and the diet of 33 veteran and 38 nonveteran clinically stable patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) in south-central Texas.

RESULTS

The whole cohort included 82% Mexican Americans (MAs), 72% type 2 diabetics, and 73% males. The body mass index was 28.9 ± 6.2, while energy intake was 21.5 ± 8.2 kcal/kg/d and protein intake was 1.0 ± 0.4 g/kg/d. Serum albumin (bromocresol purple) was 3.5 ± 0.4 g/dL, transferrin was 171.9 ± 27.8 mg/d, C-reactive protein was 2.9 (1.4-6.5) mg/L, interleukin-6 (IL-6) was 8.3 (4.2-17.9) pg/mL, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin was 729 (552-1256) ng/mL, and the malnutrition-inflammation score was 8.8 ± 3.0. In group comparison that adjusted for sex and ethnicity, the veterans had better household income, less MAs (60% vs 100%), more males (94% vs 55%), more use of a renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade (66% vs 33%), and lower IL-6 levels (4.4 [3.1-5.8] vs 15.4 [8.3-20.5] pg/mL; P = .01) than nonveterans. In regression analysis, the lower serum IL-6 level in veterans was independently explained by dialysis clinic, sex, and, possibly, household income (intermediate significance).

CONCLUSION

In a relatively small cohort of clinically stable MHD patients, the veterans showed equivalent nutrition status and dietary intake and less inflammation than the nonveterans, thus not supporting the possibility that veteran MHD patients may have worse nutrition than the nonveteran counterpart.

Genetic Predisposition to Diabetic Nephropathy: Evidence for a Role of ACE (I/D) Gene Polymorphism in Type 2 Diabetic Population from Kutch Region

Genetic polymorphism as described with angiotensin-converting enzyme gene has been proposed as a putative mediator of diabetic nephropathy. We substantiate the hypothesis that genetic variants of the ACE have significant impacts on diabetic nephropathy. To assess the possible association between the three ACE polymorphic variants and DN in an ethnically homogeneous type 2 diabetic population from Kutch region. A 287-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in intron 16 of the ACE gene was examined by polymerase chain reaction using a case-control approach conducted with 309 unrelated type 2 diabetic patients of Kutch origin (159 Ahir and 150 Rabari, with >10 years duration of T2DM). Of the patients, 143 had nephropathy {AER >30 mg/day (Ahir, n:73 and Rabari, n:70)} and were considered as cases; all others {n:166 (86 Ahir and 80 Rabari)} were normoalbuminuric (AER <30 mg/day) and were treated as controls. Suitable descriptive statistics was used for different variables. Genotype frequencies in all groups were all in accordance with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Genotypic distribution was significantly different between cases and controls (Ahir: x(2) :8.87, 2 d.f. p = 0.0118; Rabari: x(2) :11.01, 2 d.f. p = 0.0041). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that DD genotype was a significant and strongest independent predictor of microalbuminuria (Ahir: p = 0.0362, OR = 2.65, 95 % CI 1.89-6.36; Rabari: p = 0.024, OR = 2.81, 95 % CI 1.9-6.65). However, it did not independently change the odds of having macroalbuminuria versus microalbuminuria. Analysis of the association under various genetic models revealed that ACE I/D polymorphic variant contribute to DN susceptibility under recessive mode only. Genetic variation at the ACE locus as D/D variant in intron 16, contribute to an increased risk of nephropathy in T2DM patients but not extent of DN severity, and thus this polymorphism might be considered as genetic risk factors for DN among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Trends in prevalence and control of diabetes in the United States, 1988-1994 and 1999-2010

BACKGROUND

Trends in the prevalence and control of diabetes defined by hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels are important for health care policy and planning.

OBJECTIVE

To update trends in the prevalence of diabetes, prediabetes, and glycemic control.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) in 1988-1994 and 1999-2010.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults aged 20 years or older.

MEASUREMENTS

We used calibrated HbA1c levels to define undiagnosed diabetes (≥6.5%); prediabetes (5.7% to 6.4%); and, among persons with diagnosed diabetes, glycemic control (&lt;7.0% or &lt;8.0%). Trends in HbA1c categories were compared with fasting glucose levels (≥7.0 mmol/L [≥126 mg/dL] and 5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L [100 to 125 mg/dL]).

RESULTS

In 2010, approximately 21 million U.S. adults aged 20 years or older had total confirmed diabetes (self-reported diabetes or diagnostic levels for both fasting glucose and calibrated HbA1c). During 2 decades, the prevalence of total confirmed diabetes increased, but the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes remained fairly stable, reducing the proportion of total diabetes cases that are undiagnosed to 11% in 2005-2010. The prevalence of prediabetes was lower when defined by calibrated HbA1c levels than when defined by fasting glucose levels but has increased from 5.8% in 1988-1994 to 12.4% in 2005-2010 when defined by HbA1c levels. Glycemic control improved overall, but total diabetes prevalence was greater and diabetes was less controlled among non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican Americans compared with non-Hispanic whites.

LIMITATION

Cross-sectional design.

CONCLUSION

Over the past 2 decades, the prevalence of total diabetes has increased substantially. However, the proportion of undiagnosed diabetes cases decreased, suggesting improvements in screening and diagnosis. Among the growing number of persons with diagnosed diabetes, glycemic control improved but remains a challenge, particularly among non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican Americans.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE

National Institutes of Health.

Clinical challenges in diagnosis and management of diabetic kidney disease

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a major and increasing worldwide public health issue. There is a great need for implementing treatments that either prevent or significantly slow the progression of DKD. Although there have been significant improvements in management, the increasing numbers of patients with DKD illustrate that current management is not wholly adequate. The reasons for suboptimal management include the lack of early diagnosis, lack of aggressive interventions, and lack of understanding about which interventions are most successful. There are a number of challenges and controversies regarding the current management of patients with DKD. Understanding of these issues is needed in order to provide the best care to patients with DKD. This article describes some of the clinically important challenges associated with DKD: the current epidemiology and cost burden and the role of biopsy in the diagnosis of DKD. Treatment controversies regarding current pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches are reviewed and recommendations based on the published literature are made.