Feasibility and effectiveness of electrochemical dermal conductance measurement for the screening of diabetic neuropathy in primary care. DECODING Study (Dermal Electrochemical Conductance in Diabetic Neuropathy). Rationale and design.

Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of polyneuropathy in the Western world. Diabetic neuropathy is a frequent complication of diabetes and may have great clinical transcendence due to pain and possible ulceration of the lower extremities. It is also a relevant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes. Although the cause of polyneuropathy in patients with diabetes is only partially known, it has been associated with chronic hyperglycemia suggesting the possible etiopathogenic implication of advanced glycosylation end products. The strategy of choice in the medical management of diabetic neuropathy is early detection since glycaemic control and the use of certain drugs may prevent or slow the development of this disease. Diabetic neuropathy most often presents with a dysfunction of unmyelinated C-fibers, manifested as an alteration of the sweat reflex of the eccrine glands. This dysfunction can now be demonstrated using a newly developed technology which measures dermal electrochemical conductivity. This noninvasive test is easy and cost-effective. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of dermal electrochemical conductance measurement (quantitative expression of the sudomotor reflex) as a screening test for the diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy in patients in primary care.

The incorporation of family physicians in the assessment of diabetic retinopathy by non-mydriatic fundus camera.

AIMS: To evaluate the inclusion of family physicians in screening for diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: We evaluated by non-mydriatic fundus camera 2779 diabetic patients. The family physicians made an initial evaluation of the fundus and pathological images were sent to a reference ophthalmologist. An audit was taken of all the patients at the end of the study. We analysed the concordance in: diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, and lesions in the macular area. RESULTS: Diabetic retinopathy was observed in 226 patients (8.1%) and diabetic macular edema in 40 patients (1.4%). Other retinal pathologies were diagnosed in 291 (11.0%). The sensitivity of the study was 95.2% for diabetic retinopathy, 96.0% for macular lesions and 92.9% for diabetic macular edema. The specificity was above 98% in the three studied variables. Cohen's Kappa coefficient was 0.82 for diabetic retinopathy, 0.81 for diabetic macular edema and 0.96 for macular lesions. CONCLUSIONS: The inclusion of family physicians in the screening system seems to be effective in the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

Metabolic syndrome as a cardiovascular disease risk factor: patients evaluated in primary care.

To estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in a population receiving attention in primary care centers (PCC) we selected a random cohort of ostensibly normal subjects from the registers of 5 basic-health area (BHA) PCC. Diagnosis of MS was with the WHO, NCEP and IDF criteria. Variables recorded were: socio-demographic data, CVD risk factors including lipids, obesity, diabetes, blood pressure and smoking habit and a glucose tolerance test outcome. Of the 720 individuals selected (age 60.3 +/- 11.5 years), 431 were female, 352 hypertensive, 142 diabetic, 233 pre-diabetic, 285 obese, 209 dyslipemic and 106 smokers. CVD risk according to the Framingham and REGICOR calculation was 13.8 +/- 10% and 8.8 +/- 9.8%, respectively. Using the WHO, NCEP and IDF criteria, MS was diagnosed in 166, 210 and 252 subjects, respectively and the relative risk of CVD complications in MS subjects was 2.56. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the MS components (WHO set), the MS components (IDF set) and the female gender had an increased odds ratio for CVD of 3.48 (95CI%: 2.26-5.37), 2.28 (95%CI: 1.84-4.90) and 2.26 (95%CI: 1.48-3.47), respectively. We conclude that MS and concomitant CVD risk is high in ostensibly normal population attending primary care clinics, and this would necessarily impinge on resource allocation in primary care.