Postprandial reactive hypoglycaemia in a very old patient.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Postprandial reactive hypoglycaemia (PRH) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the recurrence of symptomatic hypoglycaemia during postprandial periods. PRH remains a diagnostic challenge for clinicians, because of its atypical manifestations and low prevalence, especially in older persons. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report the diagnostic work-up of severe hypoglycaemic episodes in a very old patient in whom the diagnosis of PRH was made. INTERVENTION: We prescribed acarbose, an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, to this patient to prevent the recurrence of hypoglycaemic episodes. Four years later, acarbose was always used and no further episode of hypoglycaemia had occurred. Based on the literature, we discuss the limited value of endocrine tests as well as the efficacy of the therapeutic approaches. CONCLUSION: Prescription of acarbose is useful in addition to nutritional education, the corner stone of the treatment, to avoid the recurrence of severe hypoglycaemic events due to PRH.

[Screening strategy and diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes. Proposals of the GGOLFB]. / Stratégie de dépistage et critères diagnostiques du diabète gestationnel. Propositions du GGOLFB.

For nearly 50 years, the strategy of screening and the diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes have been the subject of endless controversies. They differ between countries and from one center to another, mainly because of the lack of hard data allowing to define glycemic thresholds at which a therapeutic management is needed. Recently, a large observational study has demonstrated the existence of a robust relationship between maternal blood sugar and several fetomaternal perinatal complications. This relationship is linear, with no clear threshold that would define gestational diabetes unambiguously. Meanwhile, two randomized intervention trials have shown that the therapeutic management of mild gestational diabetes was associated with improved perinatal outcomes. Based on these data, the " International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group "(IADPSG) released new recommendations on screening methods and diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes. Although already endorsed by several international associations and implemented in some countries, these recommendations still raise questions and criticisms. This is why the "Groupement des Gynécologues Obstétriciens de Langue Française de Belgique " (GGOLFB) organized a meeting between diabetologists and gynecologists which allowed to reach a consensus on the strategy that we intend to implement in our respective centers. The purpose of this paper is to briefly overview the recent advances in gestational diabetes and more particularly to make our key conclusions known to the medical community. This will enable the standardization of the management of gestational diabetes in the French-speaking part of Belgium.

[Screening strategy and diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes. Proposals of the GGOLFB]. / Stratégie de dépistage et critères diagnostiques du diabète gestationnel. Propositions du GGOLFB.

For nearly 50 years, the strategy of screening and the diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes have been the subject of endless controversies. They differ between countries and from one center to another, mainly because of the lack of hard data allowing to define glycemic thresholds at which a therapeutic management is needed. Recently, a large observational study has demonstrated the existence of a robust relationship between maternal blood sugar and several fetomaternal perinatal complications. This relationship is linear, with no clear threshold that would define gestational diabetes unambiguously. Meanwhile, two randomized intervention trials have shown that the therapeutic management of mild gestational diabetes was associated with improved perinatal outcomes. Based on these data, the "International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group" (IADPSG) released new recommendations on screening methods and diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes. Although already endorsed by several international associations and implemented in some countries, these recommendations still raise questions and criticisms. This is why the "Groupement des Gynécologues Obstétriciens de Langue Française de Belgique" (GGOLFB) organized a meeting between diabetologists and gynecologists which allowed to reach a consensus on the strategy that we intend to implement in our respective centers. The purpose of this paper is to briefly overview the recent advances in gestational diabetes and more particularly to make our key conclusions known to the medical community. This will enable the standardization of the management of gestational diabetes in the French-speaking part of Belgium.

Plantar pressure relief using a forefoot offloading shoe.

AIM: To assess the effectiveness of the Barouk(®) second-generation postoperative forefoot relief shoes during appropriate use of the shoe on healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A convenience sample of 35 volunteer subjects (17 women, 18 men) was recruited to participate in this study. Dynamic foot loading was evaluated with inshoe plantar pressure measurements. Subjects were asked to walk two trials at a self-selected speed: (a) in their mass-produced shoes to assess baseline pressure values, defined as 100% and (b) with the Barouk(®) postoperative shoe on the right foot and their own shoe on the left side. Data analysis was tested for statistical differences with paired Student's t-tests (with p<0.05 as a significance level). RESULTS: The Barouk(®) second-generation postoperative forefoot relief shoes relieved forefoot pressure in all trials. For all 35 volunteers, there was a 79-96% mean peak pressure reduction (p<0.001) of the forefoot except for the fifth metatarsal head during appropriate use of the postoperative shoe. In contrast to the results for the forefoot, a significant increase of the peak pressure values was observed in the heel region. Similar findings were observed for the pressure-time integral values. CONCLUSION: The data of our study provide evidence that the second-generation Barouk(®) shoe relieve pressure of the forefoot with appropriate use.

Pancreas transplantation for treatment of generalized allergy to human insulin in type 1 diabetes.

We report the case of a 29-year-old man with a 14-year history of type 1 diabetes, normal renal function, and mild diabetic retinopathy. The patient progressively developed a generalized allergic reaction to two insulin excipients--protamine and metacresol--with systemic manifestations of tremor, tachycardia, vertigo, shortness of breath, and short episodes of unconsciousness causing him to be out of work. In June 2003, he received a vascularized cadaveric pancreas transplant using induction with polyclonal antibodies along with tacrolimus and sirolimus but without steroids. A hyperglycemic episode following corticosteroid therapy for rejection treatment required reintroduction of insulin therapy with prompt reappearance of allergic manifestations. Now, the patient is euglycemic without insulin or allergic manifestations and a glycated hemoglobin of 6.4%.

Outcome of cadaver kidney transplantation in 23 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a growing cause of end-stage renal failure worldwide. Yet, only a minority of type 2 diabetics are considered today for kidney transplantation (KT). The scarcity of data on the outcome of such patients after KT prompted us to review our experience. METHODS: Between 1 January 1983 and 30 June 1996, 23 patients with type 2 DM received a first cadaver KT at a mean age of 57+/-9 (41-73) years, after a dialysis period ranging from 5 to 72 (mean 25+/-18) months. Only nine patients had a history of coronary and/or peripheral vascular disease before KT. All were given cyclosporin- or tacrolimus-based immunosuppression. Post-KT follow-up ranged from 4 to 181 (mean 70+/-38) months. Outcome analysis focused on the impact of cardiovascular complications. RESULTS: Patient survival at 1, 5 and 8 years was 91, 83 and 76% respectively. Death was due to infection in three patients and to a cardiovascular event in two. The actuarial risk of coronary, cerebrovascular, peripheral vascular, and any cardiovascular event after KT was 14, 13, 9 and 30% at 1 year, 20, 13, 50 and 58% at 5 years, and 20, 46, 66 and 72% at 8 years respectively. Post-KT hospital readmissions averaged 10 days/patient-year and were mostly related to the management of peripheral vascular disease. CONCLUSION: KT is an excellent therapeutic option for selected patients with type 2 DM. Peripheral vascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity following KT. KT should be considered in type 2 diabetics with a low/medium cardiovascular risk.

Subintimal angioplasty of tibial vessel occlusions in the treatment of critical limb ischaemia: mid-term results.

OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary results at 1 year of subintimal angioplasty of tibial occlusions in critical limb ischaemia (CLI). MATERIAL: from December 1997 to December 1999, we intended to treat 36 patients and 40 limbs by subintimal angioplasty of occlusions of tibial vessels. Thirty-one had gangrene or ulceration and nine had rest pain. Twenty-seven occlusions were more than 10 cm, 10 were 5 to 10 cm and three were less than 5 cm in length. Three patients had an occluded previous ipsilateral bypass graft. All patients were followed 3 monthly for a median of 10 months by means of clinical and duplex examination. RESULTS: the technical success rate was 78% (31/40). Nine technical failures were treated by conventional surgery or angioplasty of another diseased tibial vessel. The clinical success rate was 68% (27/40). Four below-the-knee amputations were performed despite a patent recanalisation. Primary and secondary patency rates at 12 months were 56% (72% without technical failures). The 12-month limb salvage rate was 81% and survival rate was 78%. Three of five complications were treated by endovascular procedures. The length of occlusion (>10 cm) but not the location of distal re-entry, the type of vessel re-entry and the presence of diabetes are predictors of technical success and patency. CONCLUSIONS: subintimal angioplasty can be used to treat tibial occlusions in patients with CLI. Technical failure does not preclude conventional surgery and complications may often be treated by endovascular procedures. However, the durability of angioplasty is as yet uncertain.

Kidney and kidney-pancreas transplantation in diabetic recipients.

Type 1 as well as Type 2 diabetic patients in end-stage renal failure and with no contraindications to kidney transplantation have a greater probability of survival with a functioning kidney graft than if they remain on dialysis. Five-year patient and pancreas graft survival rates for simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplantation are currently 81 and 67% respectively. The main benefit of this operation is to achieve insulin independence and improved quality of life. However, surgical morbidity is higher and the immunosuppressive regimen more powerful than for kidney transplantation alone. The 5-year survival rate for kidney transplantation in Type 2 patients without severe cardiovascular disease is 81%, although a high incidence of peripheral vascular complications can be expected. Renal transplantation should be considered in diabetic patients with a life expectancy of more than 5 years, no contraindications to immunosuppressive treatment, and low perioperative risk. Combined kidney-pancreas transplantation should be considered in Type 1 patients under 50 years of age with no or moderate cardiovascular complications and a thorough understanding of the risks and benefits of the procedure.

An unusual cause of factitious mineralocorticoid excess.

The presence of hypokalaemia in hypertensive patient must prompt a search for increased mineralocorticoid activity. We describe and discuss the observation of a patient with biological markers of hypermineralocorticoidism, despite low plasma and urinary aldosterone levels, and suppressed plasma renin activity. This typical syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess was secondary, in our patient, to prolonged administration of a mineralocorticoid-containing nasal spray.

Determination by latex immunoassay of protein 1 in normal and pathological urine.

A sensitive latex particle assay has been developed to study the occurrence of protein 1 in human urine. The coefficients of variation (CVs) of the method which is fully automated vary between 3 and 11.5%. The assayable concentration range is 0.3 to 40 micrograms/l. Protein 1 is clearly a sex-dependent protein. In contrast to urinary retinol-binding protein (RBP) which shows no variation with age or sex, protein 1 is excreted in greater amounts in males from the puberty. In adults, the mean concentration of protein 1 in urine of men is approximately 5 times that of women. In the urine from both sexes, protein 1 occurs as a single component with a Mr around 21,000 and an pI of about 4.8. Protein 1 is correlated with RBP in the urine from female or male patients with impaired proximal tubular function, which suggests that it is handled by the kidney in a similar manner as RBP. Diabetics, however, show elevations of urinary protein 1 which do not correlate with the RBP excretion but with the albuminuria. A competition between albumin and protein 1 for renal tubular uptake might explain this paradoxical behaviour of protein 1 in the course of diabetic nephropathy.

Urinary proteins and red blood cell membrane negative charges in diabetes mellitus.

The nature and origin of proteinuria in diabetes mellitus have been investigated by measuring the urinary excretion of seven specific proteins of low (beta 2-microglobin, retinol-binding protein) or high molecular weight (albumin, transferrin, hemopexin and IgG). Using the Alcian Blue binding test, we also measured negative charges on red blood cell (RBC) membrane which according to recent studies might mirror the glomerular polyanion charge. A group of 190 diabetics was examined, including 90 patients with type I diabetes, 23 type II diabetics treated with diet and/or hypoglycaemic agents and 77 longstanding type II diabetics requiring insulin therapy. With the exception of beta 2-microglobulin all proteins measured were excreted in the urine of diabetics in significantly higher amounts than in controls. The assay of transferrin proved the most sensitive (58% positive) followed by albumin (49%), IgG (34%), hemopexin (28%) and retinol-binding protein (26%). Practically the same ranking was obtained when only type I diabetics were considered. RBC membrane negative charges were diminished in diabetics and negatively correlated with the urinary excretion of albumin (r = -0.61, n = 190). RBC charges were also negatively correlated with other urinary proteins of high molecular mass (r between - 0.5 and - 0.2) but presented no relation with urinary beta 2-microglobulin or retinol-binding protein. The loss of RBC charges in diabetics most likely reflects the concomitant depletion of the glomerular polyanion responsible for the increased glomerular leakage of high molecular mass plasma proteins. The preferential increase in transferrin excretion together with the progressive rise in the urinary excretion of IgG lead us to postulate that the loss of glomerular polyanion in diabetes is accompanied, from the early stage, by a progressive decrease in the size-selectivity of the glomerular filter. The urinary excretion of retinol-binding protein was weakly correlated with albuminuria (r = 0.26, n = 186). Eight % of diabetics showed an elevation of urinary retinol-binding protein without evidence of microalbuminuria, which clearly demonstrates that a proximal tubular impairment can occur independently of the glomerular alterations in the course of diabetic nephropathy.

Treatment of hypertension in diabetic patients.

Hypertension, common in diabetic patients, worsens not only the risk of cardiovascular complications, but also that of microangiopathic complications (nephropathy, retinopathy) of diabetes mellitus. It is thus important to ensure the perfect control of even mild hypertension in diabetic patients. However, treatment sometimes becomes difficult given that certain categories of antihypertensive drugs interfere with blood glucose control and/or lipid metabolism, interfere with the symptomatology of hypoglycemia, or promote orthostatic hypotension, a complication of autonomic neuropathy. A study was undertaken to determine the effects of rilmenidine, administered for 16 weeks, in 29 diabetic patients treated with insulin and experiencing mild-to-moderate hypertension (supine diastolic blood pressure, 96.7 +/- 0.5 mmHg). Administered as single-drug therapy, rilmenidine rapidly normalized blood pressure (systolic blood pressure, less than 160 mmHg; diastolic blood pressure, no more than 90 mmHg--supine) in 17 patients; this persisted throughout the trial period. Addition of a diuretic after 12 weeks in the remaining 12 patients led to normalization of blood pressure in nine additional patients. Blood glucose control (evaluated at home by weekly blood glucose measurements and by glycosylated hemoglobin levels) was unaffected by treatment. Plasma levels of cholesterol (total, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein), triglycerides and proteinuria (or microalbuminuria) showed no change during the course of the trial. In conclusion, rilmenidine offers an effective and safe treatment for mild-to-moderate hypertension in diabetic patients treated with insulin and does not interfere with their blood glucose control.

Treatment of systemic hypertension in insulin-treated diabetes mellitus with rilmenidine.

The effects of a new alpha 2 agonist (S 3341 or rilmenidine) on blood pressure (BP), glycemic control, lipid metabolism and renal function were investigated during a 16-week open study in 29 insulin-treated diabetic patients with mild to moderate hypertension. There were 17 men and 12 women aged 50.9 +/- 2.2 years (mean +/- standard error of the mean). Duration of diabetes and insulin therapy was 218 +/- 24 and 143 +/- 30 months. After 2 weeks of placebo, systolic and diastolic BP was 165 +/- 3 and 97 +/- 0.5 mm Hg, respectively (supine). Rilmenidine (S 3341) given alone at daily doses of 1 or 2 mg according to the clinical response led to a prompt and sustained decrease of systolic and diastolic BP (159 +/- 4 and 88 +/- 1 mm Hg after 2 weeks; 149 +/- 3 and 85 +/- 1 mm Hg after 12 weeks; p less than 0.01). Seventeen patients (59%) had normal BP (systolic BP less than 160; diastolic BP less than 90 mm Hg, supine) after 12 weeks of S 3341. Diuretics were associated with S 3341 for the nonresponders at week 12; this led to normalization of BP in 90% of the patients at the end of the study. Glycemic control was assessed by home glucose monitoring (5 determinations/1 day per week), 24-hour glucosuria and postprandial plasma glucose at the outpatient clinic (n = 7) as well as by the measurement of the glycosylated hemoglobin. None of these parameters was significantly affected by S 3341.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)