A diabetes awareness campaign prevents diabetic ketoacidosis in children at their initial presentation with type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a diabetes awareness campaign on the incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at the first presentation of type 1 diabetes in children (0-18 yr). METHODS: This study was a controlled population intervention study with a 2-yr baseline period and a 2-yr intervention period. Data were collected on all children presenting with their initial diagnosis of type 1 diabetes [pH, bicarbonate, base excess, blood glucose level (BGL), urea, and creatinine] at Gosford, Newcastle, and Sydney (Sydney Children's Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital). During the intervention period, diabetes education occurred in the intervention region (Gosford). Child care centers, schools, and doctor's offices were offered education and posters about the symptoms of type 1 diabetes. Doctor's offices were given glucose and ketone testing equipment. The control regions (Newcastle and Sydney) did not receive any educational intervention or test equipment. DKA was defined as pH < 7.3 or bicarbonate < 15 mmol/L. RESULTS: In Gosford, the proportion of children presenting in DKA decreased from 37.5% (15/40) during the 2-yr baseline period to 13.8% (4/29) during the 2-yr intervention (p < 0.03). There was no significant change in the control regions during the same time periods, 37.4% (46/123) and 38.6% (49/127), respectively. In Gosford, the average BGL at presentation was 27.5 mmol/L during the baseline and 21.2 mmol/L during the intervention (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: During the diabetes awareness campaign, the rate of DKA at initial diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in children decreased by 64%.

Type 2 diabetes prevention in the community: 12-Month outcomes from the Sydney Diabetes Prevention Program.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The Sydney Diabetes Prevention Program (SDPP) was a community-based type 2 diabetes prevention translational research study with screening and recruitment in the primary health care setting. We aimed to investigate the program's effectiveness in reducing risk factors for diabetes as well as the program's reach, adoption and implementation. METHODS: 1238 participants aged 50-65 years at high-risk of developing type 2 diabetes were recruited by primary care physicians in the greater Sydney region. The intervention, delivered by trained allied health professionals, included an initial consultation, three group sessions/individual sessions, three follow-up phone calls, and a final review at 12 months. Biomarkers and behavioural goals were compared between baseline and 12 months. RESULTS: At baseline, the mean age of those who entered the program was 58.8 ± 4.4 years, 63% female, and the mean body mass index was 31.6 ± 5.2 kg/m(2). There was a significant weight reduction of 2 ± 4.3 kg (p<0.02) in the 850 participants who completed the 12-month follow-up accompanied by improvements in diet (total fat, saturated fat, and fibre intake) and physical activity. There were also significant reductions in waist circumference 2.6 ± 4.7 cm (p<0.001) and total cholesterol -0.2 ± 0.8 mmol/L (p<0.001) but not blood glucose. The diabetes risk reduction was estimated to be 30%, consistent with similar trials. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: This study demonstrates that a community-based lifestyle modification program is effective in reducing important risk factors for diabetes in individuals at high-risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Hypertension, the Kuna, and the epidemiology of flavanols.

A low sodium diet has often been implicated in the protection of low blood pressure populations from hypertension, but several other dietary factors, including those as yet unidentified, may also be involved. The Kuna Indians of Panama are free of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, but this is changing with migration to urban areas. We compared the indigenous diet of Kuna Indians living on remote islands in Panama (Ailigandi), whose lifestyle is largely hunter-gatherer, with those who have moved to a suburb of Panama City (Vera Cruz). Between April and October 1999, members of a Kuna research team administered a 118-item food frequency questionnaire to133 adult Kuna from Ailigandi and 183 from Vera Cruz. Single 24-hour urine collections and nonfasting blood samples were obtained. The Kuna in Ailigandi reported consuming a 10-fold higher amount of cocoa-containing beverages, 4 times the amount of fish, and twice the amount of fruit as urban Kuna (P<0.05 by t test). Salt added was ample among those living in Ailigandi and Vera Cruz according to both self-report (7.1+/-1.1 and 4.6+/-0.3 tsp weekly) and urinary sodium levels (177+/-9 and 160+/-7 mEq Na/g creatinine), respectively. The low blood pressure of island-dwelling Kuna does not seem to be related to a low salt diet. Among dietary factors that varied among migrating Kuna, the notably higher intake of flavanol-rich cocoa is a potential candidate for further study.

Hipertensión arterial y retinopatía hipertensiva: su comportamiento en un área de salud / Arterial hypertension and hypertensive retinopathy in a health area

Se sabe que la hipertensión arterial constituye un serio problema de salud, con una significativa morbilidad en la población adulta de cualquier país y que produce lesiones vasculares orgánicas, más ostensibles en aquellos ®órganos blancos¼ como corazón, riñón, cerebro y retina. Se realizó el presente estudio, para determinar la presencia de retinopatía hipertensiva y su comportamiento en un grupo de hipertensos. Se tomó la tensión arterial en 3 ocasiones fortuitas y la oftalmoscopia directa, a 41 pacientes de un área de salud, clasificados como hipertensos ligeros y moderados, con edades comprendidas entre 15 y 50 años. Se halló que el 85,3 porciento de los casos presentó alteraciones en la fundoscopia, la más frecuente fue el aumento del reflejo luminoso arteriolar. Se detectó la retinopatía hipertensiva grado II, en el 46,3 porciento de los casos. El resultado de los potenciales oscilatorios realizado a 6 pacientes sin alteraciones visibles a la oftalmoscopia, fue normal en 4 casos y con disminución de su amplitud en 2. Se comprobó que las lesiones arterioloescleróticas de la pared vascular, como los cruces A/V patológicos y la tortuosidad del vaso estuvieron más relacionadas con el tiempo de evolución de la hipertensión arterial que con su grado de severidad. La correlación entre el grado de retinopatía, el tiempo de evolución y el tipo de hipertensión arterial no fue estadísticamente significativa (p>0,05). Los potenciales oscilatorios son de utilidad en el diagnóstico precoz de la retinopatía hipertensiva (AU)

Hipertensión arterial y retinopatía hipertensiva: su comportamiento en un área de salud / Arterial hypertension and hypertensive retinopathy in a health area

Se sabe que la hipertensión arterial constituye un serio problema de salud, con una significativa morbilidad en la población adulta de cualquier país y que produce lesiones vasculares orgánicas, más ostensibles en aquellos ®órganos blancos¼ como corazón, riñón, cerebro y retina. Se realizó el presente estudio, para determinar la presencia de retinopatía hipertensiva y su comportamiento en un grupo de hipertensos. Se tomó la tensión arterial en 3 ocasiones fortuitas y la oftalmoscopia directa, a 41 pacientes de un área de salud, clasificados como hipertensos ligeros y moderados, con edades comprendidas entre 15 y 50 años. Se halló que el 85,3 porciento de los casos presentó alteraciones en la fundoscopia, la más frecuente fue el aumento del reflejo luminoso arteriolar. Se detectó la retinopatía hipertensiva grado II, en el 46,3 porciento de los casos. El resultado de los potenciales oscilatorios realizado a 6 pacientes sin alteraciones visibles a la oftalmoscopia, fue normal en 4 casos y con disminución de su amplitud en 2. Se comprobó que las lesiones arterioloescleróticas de la pared vascular, como los cruces A/V patológicos y la tortuosidad del vaso estuvieron más relacionadas con el tiempo de evolución de la hipertensión arterial que con su grado de severidad. La correlación entre el grado de retinopatía, el tiempo de evolución y el tipo de hipertensión arterial no fue estadísticamente significativa (p>0,05). Los potenciales oscilatorios son de utilidad en el diagnóstico precoz de la retinopatía hipertensiva