Is gestational diabetes mellitus an important contributor to metabolic disorders in Trinidad and Tobago?

OBJECTIVE. To investigate the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus at the Mt. Hope Women's Hospital and to describe its epidemiological pattern. DESIGN. A retrospective observational study (Jan 2005 to Dec 2007). SETTING. A teaching hospital of The University of the West Indies. POPULATION/SAMPLE. Pregnant women who gave birth. METHODS. A sample size of 720. The variables analyzed were: age, ethnicity, BMI of mother, family history of diabetes; history of GDM, obstetric history, birth weight and APGAR score of infant. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. (1) Incidence of cases of GDM. (2) Impact of the measured variable. Chi-squares, odds ratios and logistic regression were performed. RESULTS. The incidence of GDM was 4.31 per cent (95 per cent C.I. 2.31 per cent, 6.31 per cent). The proportion of GDM patients for the years 2005, 2006, and 2007 were 1.67 per cent, 4.58 per cent, and 6.67 per cent, respectively. Age, Obesity Ethnicity, Family history of diabetes and a history of GDM were determined risk factors. Associations between GDM and (1) Mode of Delivery and (2) APGAR score of the baby were found. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS. There was an apparent increase in the incidence of GDM. Additional studies should be conducted to measure the occurrence of GDM in Trinidad and Tobago. Efforts to promote public awareness and a healthy lifestyle should be made to reverse this trend.

Early metabolic defects for developing diabetes mellitus among offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes are independent of gender

The aim of the study was to investigate if the female offspring of patients with type 2 diabetes have more metabolic defects for developing diabetes mellitus than their male counterparts. Thirty-four offspring (10 males, 24 females) of patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus aged 28.9ñ 1.5 years (mean ñ SEM) underwent a standared oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT; 75 g glucose in 300 ml water). Antropometric indices, plasma lipids and blood pressure were measured while insulin resistance (IR) and sensitivity (percent S) were assessed using the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) method. All the offspring had normal glucose tolerance but high HOMA-derived IR values (27.2 ñ 4.2 vs 22.5 ñ 2.7 pmol/mmol/l, p>0.05) and low percent S (48.1 ñ 5.1 vs. 50.6 ñ 3.9 percent, p>0.05), all of which did not differ on gender comparisons. Multiple linear regression analyses suggest that gender had no influence on the outcome of the result (p = 0.37). Again, body mass index (BMI), fasting serum insulin, plasma glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were all similar in both genders (p>0.05). The results suggest that though the offspring manifested metabolic defects for developing diabetes in later life, this susceptibility is independent of gender in the population studied. Further studies with a large sample size are warranted to confirm these finding in this population.(Au)

Clinical nutrition: metabolic disorders and eating disorders

Advises on the treatment of obesity, eating disorders, and diabetes mellitus by dietetics

A review of the aetiology and pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis: Part III: Nutritional factors and metabolic disorders

Protein deficiency may increase the susceptability of patient to pancreatic damage. It has been suggested that this protein malnutrition may be the important factor in producing pancreatic lesions in chronic alcholics with poor dietary habits. The association of pancreatic tissue is still controversial even though there have been reports of pancreatitis associated with corticosteroid therapy (AU)

An analysis of the admissions to a male and female medical ward of the University College Hospital of the West Indies during 1955

The admissions to a male and female ward of the University College Hospital of the West Indies during 1955 have been analysed