Health-related quality of life in people with type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: data from the Brazilian Type 1 Diabetes Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (Type 1 DM) affects the psychological and emotional well-being of patients and their families. This study aims to evaluate the health- related quality of life (HRQoL) of people with Type 1 DM in Brazil, a country of continental proportions, using the EuroQol questionnaires. METHODS: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study performed by the Brazilian Type 1 Diabetes Study Group, by analyzing EuroQol scores from 3,005 participants with Type 1 DM, in 28 public clinics in Brazil. Data on demography, economical status, chronic complications, glycemic control and lipid profile were also collected. RESULTS: The assessment of HRQoL by the EuroQol showed that the average score assigned to general health in Brazil is markedly lower than those found in two other Type 1 DM population-based studies conducted in Europe (EQ-VAS from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Brazil were 80.8 ± 15.2, 75.1 ± 18.4 and 72.5 ± 22, respectively). Additionally, our data suggest that a better glycemic control could positively impact the HRQoL of people with Type 1 DM, implying that each 1 % reduction in glycated haemoglobin might lead to an increase of 1.5 points in general health status assessed by the EuroQol. CONCLUSIONS: This is a population-based study evaluating the HRQoL of people with Type 1 DM in Brazil. Our data indicate a worse quality of health of people with Type 1 DM in Brazil in comparison to Europe, and suggest that a better glycemic control could positively impact the HRQoL of these individuals. However, this study points to the existence of additional factors not yet evaluated that could be determinant in the HRQoL of these people.

Present Insights on Cardiomyopathy in Diabetic Patients.

The pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is partially understood and is likely to be multifactorial, involving metabolic disturbances, hypertension and cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN). Therefore, an important need remains to further delineate the basic mechanisms of diabetic cardiomyopathy and to apply them to daily clinical practice. We attempt to detail some of these underlying mechanisms, focusing in the clinical features and management. The novelty of this review is the role of CAN and reduction of blood pressure descent during sleep in the development of DCM. Evidence has suggested that CAN might precede left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction in normotensive patients with type 2 diabetes, serving as an early marker for the evaluation of preclinical cardiac abnormalities. Additionally, a prospective study demonstrated that an elevation of nocturnal systolic blood pressure and a loss of nocturnal blood pressure fall might precede the onset of abnormal albuminuria and cardiovascular events in hypertensive normoalbuminuric patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, existing microalbuminuria could imply the presence of myocardium abnormalities. Considering that DCM could be asymptomatic for a long period and progress to irreversible cardiac damage, early recognition and treatment of the preclinical cardiac abnormalities are essential to avoid severe cardiovascular outcomes. In this sense, we recommend that all type 2 diabetic patients, especially those with microalbuminuria, should be regularly submitted to CAN tests, Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring and echocardiography, and treated for any abnormalities in these tests in the attempt of reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Health-related quality of life in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus in the different geographical regions of Brazil: data from the Brazilian Type 1 Diabetes Study Group.

BACKGROUND: In type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) management, enhancing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is as important as good metabolic control and prevention of secondary complications. This study aims to evaluate possible regional differences in HRQoL, demographic features and clinical characteristics of patients with T1DM in Brazil, a country of continental proportions, as well as investigate which variables could influence the HRQoL of these individuals and contribute to these regional disparities. METHODS: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study performed by the Brazilian Type 1 Diabetes Study Group (BrazDiab1SG), by analyzing EuroQol scores from 3005 participants with T1DM, in 28 public clinics, among all geographical regions of Brazil. Data on demography, economic status, chronic complications, glycemic control and lipid profile were also collected. RESULTS: We have found that the North-Northeast region presents a higher index in the assessment of the overall health status (EQ-VAS) compared to the Southeast (74.6 ± 30 and 70.4 ± 19, respectively; p < 0.05). In addition, North-Northeast presented a lower frequency of self-reported anxiety-depression compared to all regions of the country (North-Northeast: 1.53 ± 0.6; Southeast: 1.65 ± 0.7; South: 1.72 ± 0.7; Midwest: 1.67 ± 0.7; p < 0.05). These findings could not be entirely explained by the HbA1c levels or the other variables examined. CONCLUSIONS: Our study points to the existence of additional factors not yet evaluated that could be determinant in the HRQoL of people with T1DM and contribute to these regional disparities.