Post-acute COVID-19 complications in UK doctors: results of a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: As a consequence of their occupation, doctors and other healthcare workers were at higher risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and more likely to experience severe disease compared to the general population. However, systematic information on post-acute COVID complications in doctors is very limited. AIMS: This study aimed to determine the symptoms, perceived determinants, health and occupational impact, and consequent needs relating to post-acute COVID complications in UK doctors. METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was distributed to UK doctors self-identifying as having Long COVID or other post-acute COVID complications. RESULTS: Of 795 responses, 603 fulfilled the inclusion criteria of being a UK-based medical doctor experiencing one or more post-acute COVID complications. Twenty-eight per cent reported a lack of adequate Respiratory Protective Equipment at the time of contracting COVID-19. Eighteen per cent of eligible respondents reported that they had been unable to return to work since acquiring COVID. CONCLUSIONS: Post-acute COVID (Long COVID) in UK doctors is a substantial burden for respondents to our questionnaire. The results indicated that insufficient respiratory protection could have contributed to occupational disease, with COVID-19 being contracted in the workplace, and resultant post-COVID complications. Although it may be too late to address the perceived determinants of inadequate protection for those already suffering with Long COVID, more investment is needed in rehabilitation and support of those afflicted.

Pharmacological treatment for Type 2 diabetes integrating findings from cardiovascular outcome trials: an expert consensus in the UK.

In people with Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Thus, as well as controlling glucose, reducing the risk of cardiovascular events is a key goal. The results of cardiovascular outcome trials have led to updates for many national and international guidelines. England, Wales and Northern Ireland remain exceptions, with the most recent update to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines published in 2015. We reviewed current national and international guidelines and recommendations on the management of people with Type 2 diabetes. This article shares our consensus on clinical recommendations for the use of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2is) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) in people with Type 2 diabetes and established or at very high risk of cardiovascular disease in the UK. We also consider cost-effectiveness for these therapies. We recommend considering each person's cardiovascular risk and using diabetes therapies with proven cardiovascular benefits when appropriate to improve long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus in older people: a brief statement of key principles of modern day management including the assessment of frailty. A national collaborative stakeholder initiative.

Rates of population ageing are unprecedented and this, combined with the progressive urbanization of lifestyles, has led to a dramatic shift in the epidemiology of diabetes towards old age, particularly to those aged 60-79 years. Both ageing and diabetes are recognized as important risk factors for the development of functional decline and disability. In addition, diabetes is associated with a high economic, social and health burden. Traditional macrovascular and microvascular complications of diabetes appear to account for less than half of the diabetes-related disability observed in older people. Despite this, older adults are under-represented in clinical trials. Guidelines from organizations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, and the American Diabetes Association acknowledge the need for individualized care, but the glycaemic targets that are suggested to constitute good control [HbA1c 53-59 mmol/mol (7-7.5%)] are too tight for frail older individuals. We present a framework for the assessment of older adults and guidelines for the management of this population according to their frailty status, with the intention of reducing complications and improving quality of life for these people.

The impact of cardiovascular co-morbidities and duration of diabetes on the association between microvascular function and glycaemic control.

BACKGROUND: Good glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) protects the microcirculation. Current guidelines suggest glycaemic targets be relaxed in advanced diabetes. We explored whether disease duration or pre-existing macrovascular complications attenuated the association between hyperglycaemia and microvascular function. METHODS: 743 participants with T2DM (n = 222), cardiovascular disease (CVD = 183), both (n = 177) or neither (controls = 161) from two centres in the UK, underwent standard clinical measures and endothelial dependent (ACh) and independent (SNP) microvascular function assessment using laser Doppler imaging. RESULTS: People with T2DM and CVD had attenuated ACh and SNP responses compared to controls. This was additive in those with both (ANOVA p < 0.001). In regression models, cardiovascular risk factors accounted for attenuated ACh and SNP responses in CVD, whereas HbA1c accounted for the effects of T2DM. HbA1c was associated with ACh and SNP response after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (adjusted standardised beta (ß) -0.096, p = <0.008 and -0.135, p < 0.001, respectively). Pre-existing CVD did not modify this association (ß -0.099; p = 0.006 and -0.138; p < 0.001, respectively). Duration of diabetes accounted for the association between HbA1c and ACh (ß -0.043; p = 0.3), but not between HbA1c and SNP (ß -0.105; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In those with T2DM and CVD, good glycaemic control is still associated with better microvascular function, whereas in those with prolonged disease this association is lost. This suggests duration of diabetes may be a better surrogate for "advanced disease" than concomitant CVD, although this requires prospective validation.

Post-acute COVID syndrome (long COVID): What should radiographers know and the potential impact for imaging services.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented health crisis resulting in over 6 million deaths worldwide, a figure, which continues to grow. In addition to the excess mortality, there are individuals who recovered from the acute stages, but suffered long-term changes in their health post COVID-19, commonly referred to as long COVID. It is estimated there are currently 1.8 million long COVID sufferers by May 2022 in the UK alone. The aim of this narrative literature review is to explore the signs, symptoms and diagnosis of long COVID and the potential impact on imaging services. KEY FINDINGS: Long COVID is estimated to occur in 9.5% of those with two doses of vaccination and 14.6% if those with a single dose or no vaccination. Long COVID is defined by ongoing symptoms lasting for 12 or more weeks post acute infection. Symptoms are associated with reductions in the quality of daily life and may involve multisystem manifestations or present as a single symptom. CONCLUSION: The full impact of long COVID on imaging services is yet to be realised, but there is likely to be significant increased demand for imaging, particularly in CT for the assessment of lung disease. Educators will need to include aspects related to long COVID pathophysiology and imaging presentations in curricula, underpinned by the rapidly evolving evidence base. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Symptoms relating to long COVID are likely to become a common reason for imaging, with a particular burden on Computed Tomography services. Planning, education and updating protocols in line with a rapidly emerging evidence base is going to be essential.

Time to do more: addressing clinical inertia in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: Clinical inertia, the tendency to maintain current treatment strategies despite results demanding escalation, is thought to substantially contribute to the disconnect between clinical aspirations for patients with diabetes and targets achieved. We wished to explore potential causes of clinical inertia among physicians and people with diabetes. METHODS: A 20-min online survey of 652 adults with diabetes and 337 treating physicians in six countries explored opinions relating to clinical inertia from both perspectives, in order to correlate perceptions and expectations relating to diagnosis, treatment, diabetes complications and therapeutic escalation. RESULTS: Physicians had low expectations for their patients, despite the belief that the importance of good glycaemic control through lifestyle and pharmacological interventions had been adequately conveyed. Conversely, people with diabetes had, at best, a rudimentary understanding of the risks of complications and the importance of good control; indeed, only a small proportion believed lifestyle changes were important and the majority did not intend to comply. CONCLUSIONS: The principal findings of this survey suggest that impairments in communication are at the heart of clinical inertia. This manuscript lays out four key principles that we believe are achievable in all environments and can improve the lives of people with diabetes.

Impaired post-ischaemic microvascular hyperaemia in Indian Asians is unexplained by diabetes or other cardiovascular risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: People of Indian Asian descent have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) that cannot be explained by diabetes and other established CVD risk factors. We investigated if microcirculatory function was impaired in a population-based sample of people of Indian Asian descent compared with Europeans in the UK and whether any differences could be accounted for by diabetes or other CVD risk factors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Cutaneous microvascular function was assessed using laser Doppler fluximetry in response to heating to 42 °C (maximum hyperaemia) and 3 min arterial occlusion (post occlusive reactive hyperaemia: PORH) in 148 Indian Asians and 147 Europeans. Blood pressure, anthropometry and fasting bloods were also measured. RESULTS: Maximum hyperaemia and minimum resistance did not differ significantly by ethnicity. Resting flux and PORH were lower in Indian Asians and time to peak of PORH was prolonged. Diabetes was associated with reduced maximum hyperaemia and PORH. Adjustment for diabetes accounted for differences in resting flux and time to peak but not differences in PORH (Europeans = 45.0 (40.3, 50.1)au, Indian Asians = 35.6 (31.9, 39.7)au, mean (95% confidence interval); p = 0.008 after adjustment). Differences in conventional CVD risk factors did not account for interethnic differences in microvascular responses. CONCLUSIONS: People of Indian Asian descent have impaired post-occlusive reactive hyperaemia unexplained by diabetes, dysglycaemia or other CVD risk factors. Abnormal microvascular function in response to ischaemia could represent a novel mechanism contributing to the elevated risk of CVD in Indian Asians.

Differences in the association between type 2 diabetes and impaired microvascular function among Europeans and African Caribbeans.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Diabetes is associated with microvascular damage in all populations, but diabetic patients of Black African descent (African Caribbeans) have a greater risk of vascular target organ damage than would be anticipated for any given blood pressure level. We investigated whether this may be due to differences in the microvasculature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess the maximum hyperaemic response to heating and the post-ischaemic response, Laser Doppler fluximetry was performed on 51 and 100 Europeans, and on 66 and 88 African Caribbeans with and without diabetes, respectively. Subjects were aged between 40 and 65 years and recruited from the general population. Echocardiographic interventricular septal thickness (IVST) was measured as a proxy for vascular target organ damage. RESULTS: In diabetic subjects of both ethnic groups, the maximum hyperaemic response and peak response to ischaemia were attenuated as compared to the corresponding non-diabetic subjects (p=0.08 for diabetic and 0.03 for non-diabetic Europeans; p=0.03 and 0.1 for African Caribbeans). Adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, in particular insulin and blood pressure, abolished these differences in Europeans (p=0.8 for diabetic and 0.2 for non-diabetic Europeans), but not in African Caribbeans (p=0.03 and 0.05). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Persisting microvascular dysfunction in African Caribbeans may contribute to the increased risk of target organ damage observed in diabetes in this population. The weak contribution of conventional cardiovascular risk factors to these disturbances indicates that conventional therapeutic interventions may be less beneficial in these patients. There was a risk-factor-independent, inverse association between IVST and maximal hyperaemia. These ethnic differences in microvascular responses to temperature and arterial occlusion could account for increased target organ damage in African Caribbeans.

The use of recombinant human B-type natriuretic peptide (nesiritide) in the management of acute decompensated heart failure.

Nesiritide is a synthetic human B-type natriuretic factor that has a balanced arterial and venous dilator effect, with natriuretic, diuretic, anti-aldosterone and antisympathetic action. It was launched in the US for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in August 2001 and, recently, in Switzerland and Israel. It has been demonstrated to provide more rapid and sustained haemodynamic stabilisation than glyceryl trinitrate and significant symptomatic improvement vs. placebo at 3 h, and to be safer than dobutamine. The main side effects associated with nesiritide therapy are asymptomatic and symptomatic hypotension, which are treated with dose reduction. When compared to dobutamine, the increased acquisition costs of nesiritide are completely offset by reduced intensity of hospital admissions and reduced readmission rate at 3 weeks.