Association Between Rental Assistance Programs and Undiagnosed Diabetes Among U.S.

BACKGROUND: Rental assistance programs have been linked to better housing quality, stability, healthcare access, and reduced likelihood of uncontrolled diabetes. However, its direct association with diabetes screening is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether federal rental assistance programs are associated with lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes. DESIGN: We used a quasi-experimental approach, comparing outcomes among adults receiving rental assistance to those who entered assisted housing within 2 years after their health data were collected. We test the a priori hypothesis that rental assistance will be associated with decreased odds of undiagnosed diabetes. PARTICIPANTS: Participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2018 who received rental assistance and who had diabetes. INTERVENTION: Current rental assistance participation, including specific housing programs. MAIN MEASURES: Undiagnosed diabetes based on having hemoglobin A1c ≥ 6.5% but answering no to the survey question of being diagnosed with diabetes. KEY RESULTS: Among 435 eligible adults (median age 54.5 years, female 68.5%, non-Hispanic white 32.5%), 80.7% were receiving rental assistance programs at the time of the interview, and 19.3% went on to receive rental assistance within 2 years. The rates of undiagnosed diabetes were 15.0% and 25.3% among those receiving rental assistance programs vs. those in the future assistance group (p-value = 0.07). In an adjusted logistic regression model, adults receiving rental assistance had lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.28-0.94) than those in future assistance groups. Sex, race and ethnic group, educational level, and poverty ratio were not significantly associated with having undiagnosed diabetes, but individuals aged 45-64 years had significantly lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08-0.53) compared with those aged 18-44. CONCLUSIONS: Rental assistance was linked to lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes, suggesting that affordable housing programs can aid in early recognition and diagnosis, which may improve long-term outcomes.

Food Insecurity and Hypoglycemia among Older Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Treated with Insulin or Sulfonylureas: The Diabetes & Aging Study.

BACKGROUND: Severe hypoglycemia is a serious adverse drug event associated with hypoglycemia-prone medications; older patients with diabetes are particularly at high risk. Economic food insecurity (food insecurity due to financial limitations) is a known risk factor for hypoglycemia; however, less is known about physical food insecurity (due to difficulty cooking or shopping for food), which may increase with age, and its association with hypoglycemia. OBJECTIVE: Study associations between food insecurity and severe hypoglycemia. DESIGN: Survey based cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Survey responses were collected in 2019 from 1,164 older (≥ 65 years) patients with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin or sulfonylureas. MAIN MEASURES: Risk ratios (RR) for economic and physical food insecurity associated with self-reported severe hypoglycemia (low blood glucose requiring assistance) adjusted for age, financial strain, HbA1c, Charlson comorbidity score and frailty. Self-reported reasons for hypoglycemia endorsed by respondents. KEY RESULTS: Food insecurity was reported by 12.3% of the respondents; of whom 38.4% reported economic food insecurity only, 21.1% physical food insecurity only and 40.5% both. Economic food insecurity and physical food insecurity were strongly associated with severe hypoglycemia (RR = 4.3; p = 0.02 and RR = 4.4; p = 0.002, respectively). Missed meals ("skipped meals, not eating enough or waiting too long to eat") was the dominant reason (77.5%) given for hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS: Hypoglycemia prevention efforts among older patients with diabetes using hypoglycemia-prone medications should address food insecurity. Standard food insecurity questions, which are used to identify economic food insecurity, will fail to identify patients who have physical food insecurity only.

Development and Validation of the Life Expectancy Estimator for Older Adults with Diabetes (LEAD): the Diabetes and Aging Study.

BACKGROUND: Estimated life expectancy for older patients with diabetes informs decisions about treatment goals, cancer screening, long-term and advanced care, and inclusion in clinical trials. Easily implementable, evidence-based, diabetes-specific approaches for identifying patients with limited life expectancy are needed. OBJECTIVE: Develop and validate an electronic health record (EHR)-based tool to identify older adults with diabetes who have limited life expectancy. DESIGN: Predictive modeling based on survival analysis using Cox-Gompertz models in a retrospective cohort. PARTICIPANTS: Adults with diabetes aged ≥ 65 years from Kaiser Permanente Northern California: a 2015 cohort (N = 121,396) with follow-up through 12/31/2019, randomly split into training (N = 97,085) and test (N = 24,311) sets. Validation was conducted in the test set and two temporally distinct cohorts: a 2010 cohort (n = 89,563; 10-year follow-up through 2019) and a 2019 cohort (n = 152,357; 2-year follow-up through 2020). MAIN MEASURES: Demographics, diagnoses, utilization and procedures, medications, behaviors and vital signs; mortality. KEY RESULTS: In the training set (mean age 75 years; 49% women; 48% racial and ethnic minorities), 23% died during 5 years follow-up. A mortality prediction model was developed using 94 candidate variables, distilled into a life expectancy model with 11 input variables, and transformed into a risk-scoring tool, the Life Expectancy Estimator for Older Adults with Diabetes (LEAD). LEAD discriminated well in the test set (C-statistic = 0.78), 2010 cohort (C-statistic = 0.74), and 2019 cohort (C-statistic = 0.81); comparisons of observed and predicted survival curves indicated good calibration. CONCLUSIONS: LEAD estimates life expectancy in older adults with diabetes based on only 11 patient characteristics widely available in most EHRs and claims data. LEAD is simple and has potential application for shared decision-making, clinical trial inclusion, and resource allocation.

Rental assistance improves food security and nutrition: An analysis of National Survey Data.

The U.S. is experiencing a severe housing affordability crisis, resulting in households having to make difficult trade-offs between paying for a place to live and basic health necessities such as food. Rental assistance may mitigate these strains, improving food security and nutrition. However, only one in five eligible individuals receive assistance, with an average wait time of two years. Existing waitlists create a comparable control group, allowing us to examine the causal impact of improved housing access on health and well-being. This national quasi-experimental study utilizes linked NHANES-HUD data (1999-2016) to investigate the impacts of rental assistance on food security and nutrition using cross-sectional regression. Tenants with project-based assistance were less likely to experience food insecurity (B = -0.18, p = 0.02) and rent-assisted individuals consumed 0.23 more cups of daily fruits and vegetables compared the pseudo-waitlist group. These findings suggest that the current unmet need for rental assistance and resulting long waitlists have adverse health implications, including decreased food security and fruit and vegetable consumption.

Clinical Management of Stable Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Although cardiologists have long treated patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and concomitant type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), T2DM has traditionally been considered just a comorbidity that affected the development and progression of the disease. Over the past decade, a number of factors have shifted that have forced the cardiology community to reconsider the role of T2DM in CAD. First, in addition to being associated with increased cardiovascular risk, T2DM has the potential to affect a number of treatment choices for CAD. In this document, we discuss the role that T2DM has in the selection of testing for CAD, in medical management (both secondary prevention strategies and treatment of stable angina), and in the selection of revascularization strategy. Second, although glycemic control has been recommended as a part of comprehensive risk factor management in patients with CAD, there is mounting evidence that the mechanism by which glucose is managed can have a substantial impact on cardiovascular outcomes. In this document, we discuss the role of glycemic management (both in intensity of control and choice of medications) in cardiovascular outcomes. It is becoming clear that the cardiologist needs both to consider T2DM in cardiovascular treatment decisions and potentially to help guide the selection of glucose-lowering medications. Our statement provides a comprehensive summary of effective, patient-centered management of CAD in patients with T2DM, with emphasis on the emerging evidence. Given the increasing prevalence of T2DM and the accumulating evidence of the need to consider T2DM in treatment decisions, this knowledge will become ever more important to optimize our patients' cardiovascular outcomes.

Qualitative analysis of reasons for hospitalization for severe hypoglycemia among older adults with diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Hospital admissions for severe hypoglycemia are associated with significant healthcare costs, decreased quality of life, and increased morbidity and mortality, especially for older adults with diabetes. Understanding the reasons for hypoglycemia hospitalization is essential for the development of effective interventions; yet, the causes and precipitants of hypoglycemia are not well understood. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study of non-nursing home patients aged 65 years or older without cognitive dysfunction admitted to a single tertiary-referral hospital with diabetes-related hypoglycemia. During the hospitalization, we conducted one-on-one, in-depth, semi-structured interviews to explore: (1) experiences with diabetes management among patients hospitalized for severe hypoglycemia; and (2) factors contributing and leading to the hypoglycemic event. Major themes and sub-themes were extracted using the constant comparative method by 3 study authors. RESULTS: Among the 17 participants interviewed, the mean age was 78.9 years of age, 76.5% were female, 64.7% African American, 64.7% on insulin, and patients had an average of 13 chronic conditions. Patients reported: (1) surprise at hypoglycemia despite living with diabetes for many years; (2) adequate support, knowledge, and preparedness for hypoglycemia; (3) challenges balancing a diet that minimizes hyperglycemia and prevents hypoglycemia; (4) the belief that hyperglycemia necessitates medical intervention, but hypoglycemia does not; and (5) tension between clinician-prescribed treatment plans and self-management based on patients' experience. Notably, participants did not report the previously cited reasons for hypoglycemia, such as food insecurity, lack of support or knowledge, or treatment errors. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that some hypoglycemic events may not be preventable, but in order to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia in older individuals at risk: (1) healthcare systems need to shift from their general emphasis on the avoidance of hyperglycemia towards the prevention of hypoglycemia; and (2) clinicians and patients need to work together to design treatment regimens that fit within patient capacity and are flexible enough to accommodate life's demands.

Admission diagnoses among patients with heart failure: Variation by ACO performance on a measure of risk-standardized acute admission rates.

BACKGROUND: A key quality metric for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) is the rate of hospitalization among patients with heart failure (HF). Among this patient population, non-HF-related hospitalizations account for a substantial proportion of admissions. Understanding the types of admissions and the distribution of admission types across ACOs of varying performance may provide important insights for lowering admission rates. METHODS: We examined admission diagnoses among 220 Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs in 2013. ACOs were stratified into quartiles by their performance on a measure of unplanned risk-standardized acute admission rates (RSAARs) among patients with HF. Using a previously validated algorithm, we categorized admissions by principal discharge diagnosis into: HF, cardiovascular/non-HF, and noncardiovascular. We compared the mean admission rates by admission type as well as the proportion of admission types across RSAAR quartiles (Q1-Q4). RESULTS: Among 220 ACOs caring for 227,356 patients with HF, the median (IQR) RSAARs per 100 person-years ranged from 64.5 (61.7-67.7) in Q1 (best performers) to 94.0 (90.1-99.9) in Q4 (worst performers). The mean admission rates by admission types for ACOs in Q1 compared with Q4 were as follows: HF admissions: 9.8 (2.2) vs 14.6 (2.8) per 100 person years (P < .0001); cardiovascular/non-HF admissions: 11.1 (1.6) vs 15.9 (2.6) per 100 person-years (P < .0001); and noncardiovascular admissions: 42.7 (5.4) vs 69.6 (11.3) per 100 person-years (P < .0001). The proportion of admission due to HF, cardiovascular/non-HF, and noncardiovascular conditions was 15.4%, 17.5%, and 67.1% in Q1 compared with 14.6%, 15.9%, and 69.4% in Q4 (P < .007). CONCLUSIONS: Although ACOs with the best performance on a measure of all-cause admission rates among people with HF tended to have fewer admissions for HF, cardiovascular/non-HF, and noncardiovascular conditions compared with ACOs with the worst performance (highest admission rates), the largest difference in admission rates were for noncardiovascular admission types. Across all ACOs, two-thirds of admissions of patients with HF were for noncardiovascular causes. These findings suggest that comprehensive approaches are needed to reduce the diverse admission types for which HF patients are at risk.

Defining Multiple Chronic Conditions for Quality Measurement.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) are a critical but undefined group for quality measurement. We present a generally applicable systematic approach to defining an MCC cohort of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries that we developed for a national quality measure, risk-standardized rates of unplanned admissions for Accountable Care Organizations. RESEARCH DESIGN: To define the MCC cohort we: (1) identified potential chronic conditions; (2) set criteria for cohort conditions based on MCC framework and measure concept; (3) applied the criteria informed by empirical analysis, experts, and the public; (4) described "broader" and "narrower" cohorts; and (5) selected final cohort with stakeholder input. SUBJECTS: Subjects were patients with chronic conditions. Participants included 21.8 million Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries in 2012 aged 65 years and above with ≥1 of 27 Medicare Chronic Condition Warehouse condition(s). RESULTS: In total, 10 chronic conditions were identified based on our criteria; 8 of these 10 were associated with notably increased admission risk when co-occurring. A broader cohort (2+ of the 8 conditions) included 4.9 million beneficiaries (23% of total cohort) with an admission rate of 70 per 100 person-years. It captured 53% of total admissions. The narrower cohort (3+ conditions) had 2.2 million beneficiaries (10%) with 100 admissions per 100 person-years and captured 32% of admissions. Most stakeholders viewed the broader cohort as best aligned with the measure concept. CONCLUSIONS: By systematically narrowing chronic conditions to those most relevant to the outcome and incorporating stakeholder input, we defined an MCC admission measure cohort supported by stakeholders. This approach can be used as a model for other MCC outcome measures.

Association of Initiation of Basal Insulin Analogs vs Neutral Protamine Hagedorn Insulin With Hypoglycemia-Related Emergency Department Visits or Hospital Admissions and With Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Importance: In clinical trials of patients with type 2 diabetes, long-acting insulin analogs modestly reduced the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia compared with human neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin, but cost 2 to 10 times more. Outcomes in clinical practice may differ from trial results. Objective: To compare the rates of hypoglycemia-related emergency department (ED) visits or hospital admissions associated with initiation of long-acting insulin analogs vs human NPH insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes. Design, Setting, and Participants: A retrospective observational study using data from Kaiser Permanente of Northern California from January 1, 2006, through September 30, 2015. Patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated a long-acting insulin analog or NPH insulin were included and censored at death, loss of health plan coverage, change in insulin treatment, or study end on September 30, 2015. Exposure: Initiation of basal insulin analogs (glargine or detemir) vs NPH insulin. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the time to a hypoglycemia-related ED visit or hospital admission and the secondary outcome was the change in hemoglobin A1c level within 1 year of insulin initiation. Results: There were 25 489 patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated basal insulin therapy (mean age, 60.2 [SD, 11.8] years; 51.9% white; 46.8% female). During a mean follow-up of 1.7 years, there were 39 hypoglycemia-related ED visits or hospital admissions among 1928 patients who initiated insulin analogs (11.9 events [95% CI, 8.1 to 15.6] per 1000 person-years) compared with 354 hypoglycemia-related ED visits or hospital admissions among 23 561 patients who initiated NPH insulin (8.8 events [95% CI, 7.9 to 9.8] per 1000 person-years) (between-group difference, 3.1 events [95% CI, -1.5 to 7.7] per 1000 person-years; P = .07). Among 4428 patients matched by propensity score, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.16 (95% CI, 0.71 to 1.78) for hypoglycemia-related ED visits or hospital admissions associated with insulin analog use. Within 1 year of insulin initiation, hemoglobin A1c level decreased from 9.4% (95% CI, 9.3% to 9.5%) to 8.2% (95% CI, 8.1% to 8.2%) after initiation of insulin analogs and from 9.4% (95% CI, 9.3% to 9.5%) to 7.9% (95% CI, 7.9% to 8.0%) after initiation of NPH insulin (adjusted difference-in-differences for glycemic control, -0.22% [95% CI, -0.09% to -0.37%]). Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with type 2 diabetes, initiation of a basal insulin analog compared with NPH insulin was not associated with a reduced risk of hypoglycemia-related ED visits or hospital admissions or with improved glycemic control. These findings suggest that the use of basal insulin analogs in usual practice settings may not be associated with clinical advantages for these outcomes.

Hospital Readmissions among Commercially Insured and Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries with Diabetes and the Impact of Severe Hypoglycemic and Hyperglycemic Events.

BACKGROUND: Hospital readmission is common among patients with diabetes. Some readmissions, particularly for hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, may be avoidable with better care transitions and post-discharge management. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the most common reasons and risk factors for readmission among adults with diabetes, with specific consideration of severe dysglycemia. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of data from the OptumLabs Data Warehouse, an administrative data set of commercially insured and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries across the U.S. PARTICIPANTS: Adults ≥18 years of age with diabetes, discharged from a hospital between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2014 (N = 342,186). MAIN MEASURES: Principal diagnoses and risk factors for 30-day unplanned readmissions, subset as being for severe dysglycemia vs. all other causes. KEY RESULTS: We analyzed 594,146 index hospitalizations among adults with diabetes: mean age 68.2 years (SD, 13.0), 52.9% female, and 67.8% white. The all-cause 30-day readmission rate was 10.8%. Heart failure was the most common cause for index hospitalization (5.5%) and readmission (8.9%). Severe dysglycemia accounted for 2.6% of index hospitalizations (48.1% hyperglycemia, 50.4% hypoglycemia, 1.5% unspecified) and 2.5% of readmissions (38.3% hyperglycemia, 61.0% hypoglycemia, 0.7% unspecified). Younger patient age, severe dysglycemia at index or prior hospitalization, and the Diabetes Complications Severity Index (DCSI) were the strongest risk factors predisposing patients to severe dysglycemia vs. other readmissions. Prior episodes of severe dysglycemia and the DCSI were also independent risk factors for other-cause readmissions, irrespective of the cause of the index hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with diabetes are hospitalized and readmitted for a wide range of health conditions, and hospitalizations for severe hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia remain common, with high rates of recurrence. Severe dysglycemia is most likely to occur among younger patients with multiple diabetes complications and prior history of such events.

Hypoglycemia Patients and Transport by EMS in Alameda County, 2013-15.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the rate, characteristics, and dispositions of hypoglycemia events among persons who received care from Alameda County, California, Emergency Medical Services (EMS). METHODS: This study was based on data for 601,077 Alameda County EMS encounters during 2013-15. Subjects were defined as having hypoglycemia if EMS personnel recorded a primary impression of hypoglycemia or low blood glucose (<60 mg/dl or "unspecified low"). The outcome of interest was patient transport or non-transport to an emergency department or other care setting; we excluded 33,177 (6%) encounters which lacked clear disposition outcomes. RESULTS: Among 567,900 eligible encounters, 8,332 (1.47%) were attributed to hypoglycemia, of which 1,125 (13.5%) were not transported. Non-transport was more likely among males, adult patients age <60, initial blood glucose >60 mg/dl or EMS arrival time 18:00-6:00. CONCLUSIONS: Without an understanding of EMS encounters and non-transport rates, surveillance based solely on emergency department and hospital data will significantly underestimate rates of severe hypoglycemia. Additionally, given that hypoglycemia is often safely and effectively treated by non-physicians, EMS protocols should provide guidance for non-transport of hypoglycemic patients whose blood glucose levels have normalized.

Risk-standardized Acute Admission Rates Among Patients With Diabetes and Heart Failure as a Measure of Quality of Accountable Care Organizations: Rationale, Methods, and Early Results.

BACKGROUND: Population-based measures of admissions among patients with chronic conditions are important quality indicators of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), yet there are challenges in developing measures that enable fair comparisons among providers. METHODS: On the basis of consensus standards for outcome measure development and with expert and stakeholder input on methods decisions, we developed and tested 2 models of risk-standardized acute admission rates (RSAARs) for patients with diabetes and heart failure using 2010-2012 Medicare claims data. Model performance was assessed with deviance R; score reliability was tested with intraclass correlation coefficient. We estimated RSAARs for 114 Shared Savings Program ACOs in 2012 and we assigned ACOs to 3 performance categories: no different, worse than, and better than the national rate. RESULTS: The diabetes and heart failure cohorts included 6.5 and 2.6 million Medicare Fee-For-Service beneficiaries aged 65 years and above, respectively. Risk-adjustment variables were age, comorbidities, and condition-specific severity variables, but not socioeconomic status or other contextual factors. We selected hierarchical negative binomial models with the outcome of acute, unplanned hospital admissions per 100 person-years. For the diabetes and heart failure measures, respectively, the models accounted for 22% and 12% of the deviance in outcomes and score reliability was 0.89 and 0.81. For the diabetes measure, 51 (44.7%) ACOs were no different, 45 (39.5%) were better, and 18 (15.8%) were worse than the national rate. The distribution of performance for the heart failure measure was 61 (53.5%), 37 (32.5%), and 16 (14.0%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Measures of RSAARs for patients with diabetes and heart failure meet criteria for scientific soundness and reveal important variation in quality across ACOs.

Polypharmacy in the Aging Patient: A Review of Glycemic Control in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

IMPORTANCE: There is substantial uncertainty about optimal glycemic control in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. OBSERVATIONS: Four large randomized clinical trials (RCTs), ranging in size from 1791 to 11,440 patients, provide the majority of the evidence used to guide diabetes therapy. Most RCTs of intensive vs standard glycemic control excluded adults older than 80 years, used surrogate end points to evaluate microvascular outcomes and provided limited data on which subgroups are most likely to benefit or be harmed by specific therapies. Available data from randomized clinical trials suggest that intensive glycemic control does not reduce major macrovascular events in older adults for at least 10 years. Furthermore, intensive glycemic control does not lead to improved patient-centered microvascular outcomes for at least 8 years. Data from randomized clinical trials consistently suggest that intensive glycemic control immediately increases the risk of severe hypoglycemia 1.5- to 3-fold. Based on these data and observational studies, for the majority of adults older than 65 years, the harms associated with a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) target lower than 7.5% or higher than 9% are likely to outweigh the benefits. However, the optimal target depends on patient factors, medications used to reach the target, life expectancy, and patient preferences about treatment. If only medications with low treatment burden and hypoglycemia risk (such as metformin) are required, a lower HbA1c target may be appropriate. If patients strongly prefer to avoid injections or frequent fingerstick monitoring, a higher HbA1c target that obviates the need for insulin may be appropriate. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: High-quality evidence about glycemic treatment in older adults is lacking. Optimal decisions need to be made collaboratively with patients, incorporating the likelihood of benefits and harms and patient preferences about treatment and treatment burden. For the majority of older adults, an HbA1c target between 7.5% and 9% will maximize benefits and minimize harms.

Prevalence of glucose abnormalities among patients presenting with an acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Patients with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who have glucose abnormalities are at increased risk for death and adverse ischemic outcomes. The contemporary prevalence of glucose abnormalities among AMI patients in the United States, as determined by hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), is unknown. METHODS: Patients hospitalized with AMI in a 24-site US AMI registry from 2005 to 2008 were examined for the presence of dysglycemia using HbA1c, which was analyzed at a core laboratory. Patients were categorized by American Diabetes Association guidelines as having diabetes (HbA1c ≥ 6.5%), prediabetes (HbA1c 5.7%-6.4%), or normoglycemia. Baseline demographic, clinical, and metabolic characteristics, as well as long-term all-cause mortality, were compared among groups. RESULTS: Among 2,853 patients with AMI, 1,083 (38%) had diabetes, of which 196 (18%) were newly diagnosed. There were an additional 887 patients (31%) with prediabetes and 883 patients (31%) who had normal glucose metabolism. Patients with metabolic abnormalities were older, were more frequently female, and had higher prevalence of cardiac and noncardiac comorbidities, including multivessel disease and left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Patients with increasing metabolic abnormalities had higher mortality over the 3 years after the AMI (8.6% in those with normoglycemia, 10.6% in prediabetes, 11.3% in newly diagnosed diabetes, and 20.3% in known diabetes; log rank P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In a large US AMI registry, we found that nearly 7 in 10 patients had dysglycemia, with 38% having diabetes and an additional 31% with prediabetes based on HbA1c levels. Over half of the patients who did not have a known diagnosis of diabetes at the time of admission had either newly diagnosed diabetes or prediabetes. Progressively greater severity of dysglycemia was also associated with incremental increase in long-term mortality. These data highlight the AMI hospitalization as a key opportunity to screen for glucose abnormalities so that appropriate interventions and patient education efforts can be implemented prior to discharge.

Type of ß-blocker use among patients with versus without diabetes after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Discharge ß-blocker prescription after myocardial infarction (MI) is recommended for all eligible patients. Numerous ß-blocker choices are presently available with variable glycometabolic effects, which could be an important consideration in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Whether patients with DM preferentially receive ß-blockers with favorable metabolic effects after MI and if this choice is associated with better glycemic control postdischarge is unknown. METHODS: Among patients from 24 US hospitals enrolled in an MI registry (2005-2008), we investigated the frequency of "DM-friendly" ß-blocker prescription at discharge by DM status. ß-Blockers were classified as DM-friendly (eg, carvedilol and labetalol) or non-DM-friendly (eg, metoprolol and atenolol), based on their effects on glycemic control. Hierarchical, multivariable logistic regression examined the association of DM with DM-friendly ß-blocker use. Among DM patients, we examined the association of DM-friendly ß-blockers with worsened glycemic control at 6 months after MI. RESULTS: Of 4,031 MI patients, 1,382 (34%) had DM. ß-Blockers were prescribed at discharge in 93% of patients. Diabetes mellitus-friendly ß-blocker use was low regardless of DM status, although patients with DM were more likely to be discharged on a DM-friendly ß-blocker compared with patients without DM (13.5% vs 10.3%, P = .003), an association that remained after multivariable adjustment (odds ratio 1.41, 95% CI 1.13-1.77). There was a trend toward a lower risk of worsened glucose control at 6 months in DM patients prescribed DM-friendly versus non-DM-friendly ß-blockers (Relative Risk 0.80, 95% CI 0.60-1.08). CONCLUSION: Most DM patients were prescribed non-DM-friendly ß-blockers-a practice that was associated with a trend toward worse glycemic control postdischarge. Although in need of further confirmation in larger studies, our findings highlight an opportunity to improve current practices of ß-blockers use in patients with DM.

Metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease: a systematic review.

IMPORTANCE: Metformin is widely viewed as the best initial pharmacological option to lower glucose concentrations in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the drug is contraindicated in many individuals with impaired kidney function because of concerns of lactic acidosis. OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of lactic acidosis associated with metformin use in individuals with impaired kidney function. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: In July 2014, we searched the MEDLINE and Cochrane databases for English-language articles pertaining to metformin, kidney disease, and lactic acidosis in humans between 1950 and June 2014. We excluded reviews, letters, editorials, case reports, small case series, and manuscripts that did not directly pertain to the topic area or that met other exclusion criteria. Of an original 818 articles, 65 were included in this review, including pharmacokinetic/metabolic studies, large case series, retrospective studies, meta-analyses, and a clinical trial. RESULTS: Although metformin is renally cleared, drug levels generally remain within the therapeutic range and lactate concentrations are not substantially increased when used in patients with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rates, 30-60 mL/min per 1.73 m2). The overall incidence of lactic acidosis in metformin users varies across studies from approximately 3 per 100,000 person-years to 10 per 100,000 person-years and is generally indistinguishable from the background rate in the overall population with diabetes. Data suggesting an increased risk of lactic acidosis in metformin-treated patients with chronic kidney disease are limited, and no randomized controlled trials have been conducted to test the safety of metformin in patients with significantly impaired kidney function. Population-based studies demonstrate that metformin may be prescribed counter to prevailing guidelines suggesting a renal risk in up to 1 in 4 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus--use which, in most reports, has not been associated with increased rates of lactic acidosis. Observational studies suggest a potential benefit from metformin on macrovascular outcomes, even in patients with prevalent renal contraindications for its use. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Available evidence supports cautious expansion of metformin use in patients with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease, as defined by estimated glomerular filtration rate, with appropriate dosage reductions and careful follow-up of kidney function.

Lessons From Insulin: Policy Prescriptions for Affordable Diabetes and Obesity Medications.

Escalating insulin prices have prompted public scrutiny of the practices of drug manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, health insurers, and pharmacies involved in production and distribution of medications. As a result, a series of policies have been proposed or enacted to improve insulin affordability and foster greater equity in access. These policies have implications for other diabetes and obesity therapeutics. Recent legislation, at both the state and federal level, has capped insulin out-of-pocket payments for some patients. Other legislation has targeted drug manufacturers directly in requiring rebates on drugs with price increases beyond inflation rates, an approach that may restrain price hikes for existing medications. In addition, government negotiation of drug pricing, a contentious issue, has gained traction, with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 permitting limited negotiation for certain high expenditure drugs without generic or biosimilar competition, including some insulin products and other diabetes medications. However, concerns persist that this may inadvertently encourage higher launch prices for new medications. Addressing barriers to competition has also been a priority such as through increased enforcement against anticompetitive practices (e.g., "product hopping") and reduced regulatory requirements for biosimilar development and market entry. A novel approach involves public production, exemplified by California's CalRx program, which aims to provide biosimilar insulins at significantly reduced prices. Achieving affordable and equitable access to insulin and other diabetes and obesity medications requires a multifaceted approach, involving state and federal intervention, ongoing policy evaluation and refinement, and critical examination of corporate influences in health care.

Willingness to take less medication for type 2 diabetes among older patients: The Diabetes & Aging Study.

BACKGROUND: To examine the willingness of older patients to take less diabetes medication (de-intensify) and to identify characteristics associated with willingness to de-intensify treatment. METHODS: Survey conducted in 2019 in an age-stratified, random sample of older (65-100 years) adults with diabetes on glucose-lowering medications in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Diabetes Registry. We classified survey responses to the question: "I would be willing to take less medication for my diabetes" as willing, neutral, or unwilling to de-intensify. Willingness to de-intensify treatment was examined by several clinical characteristics, including American Diabetes Association (ADA) health status categories used for individualizing glycemic targets. Analyses were weighted to account for over-sampling of older individuals. RESULTS: A total of 1337 older adults on glucose-lowering medication(s) were included (age 74.2 ± 6.0 years, 44% female, 54.4% non-Hispanic white). The proportions of participants willing, neutral, or unwilling to take less medication were 51.2%, 27.3%, and 21.5%, respectively. Proportions of willing to take less medication varied by age (65-74 years: 54.2% vs. 85+ years: 38.5%) and duration of diabetes (0-4 years: 61.0% vs. 15+ years: 44.2%), both p < 0.001. Patients on 1-2 medications were more willing to take less medication(s) compared with patients on 10+ medications (62.1% vs. 46.6%, p = 0.03). Similar proportions of willingness to take less medications were seen across ADA health status, and HbA1c. Willingness to take less medication(s) was similar across survey responses to questions about patient-clinician relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical guidelines suggest considering treatment de-intensification in older patients with longer duration of diabetes, yet patients with these characteristics are less likely to be willing to take less medication(s).