Good glycaemic control is important in preventing the acute and long-term complications of diabetes mellitus. We assessed long-term glycaemic control using glycosylated haemoglobins in 83 diabetic patients, of mean age 47 years and of mean known duration 4.5 years, attending Port Moresby General Hospital over a one-year period. Significant improvement in glycaemic control was observed in only 11 (13%) of the patients. Glycaemic control worsened in 13 (16%) and no change was observed in the remainder (71%). Mean glycosylated haemoglobin and fasting plasma glucose levels were similar at the beginning and end of the study period. Over a one-year period 53 patients (64%) exhibited poor control with mean glycosylated haemoglobin levels exceeding 10%. Among the 19 newly diagnosed diabetic patients (23% of the total) glycaemic control improved in only 2 (11%). Glycaemic control was not influenced by sex, treatment, obesity or duration of diabetes. The demonstration of poor metabolic control in the majority of patients suggests that urgent measures are needed to reevaluate the management of diabetic patients, particularly with respect to education and diet. This may improve the poor survival rates reported in diabetic patients from Papua New Guinea.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - blood ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - drug therapy ; Glycated Hemoglobin - analysis ; Human

The review is aimed to explore the clinical and pathogenic spectrum of autoimmune diabetes including Type 1 diabetes and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). Genetic susceptibility modifies age at onset in autoimmune diabetes. The most important genetic susceptibility to Type 1 diabetes and LADA is in the HLA region. Because of the age-related genetic factors, LADA can not be distinguished from classic Type 1 diabetes by genetics. Non-genetic factors contribute much to Type 1 diabetes, but little is known in LADA. Diabetes-associated immune process can occur in early childhood and can be predictive of an ongoing beta cell destruction. The management and prevention of LADA need to be investigated in order to define the best therapeutic strategy.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; etiology ; genetics ; immunology ; therapy ; Humans

Adolescent ; Child ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Humans

Adult ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/therapy* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/diagnosis* ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Glucose Intolerance ; Humans ; Islets of Langerhans ; Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults/therapy*

PURPOSE: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder and strict glycemic control, which cannot be successfully obtained without behavior modification, is the most important factor in prevention and management of complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term effects and associated factors of the diabetes education program and to assess the necessity of regular and structured education and support in diabetic children and adolescents. METHODS: Thirty patients (10.0-18.9 years) with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), attending the diabetes clinic in Seoul National University Children's Hospital, were included in the diabetes education program with intensified treatment. A six-day-course program was provided by a diabetes care team with doctors, a specialist diabetes nurse, a clinical dietitian, and a social worker. Patient data of disease duration and complication studies at the time of enrollment were reviewed and changes in HbA1c levels before and after the education program were analyzed. RESULTS: In 28 of 30 patients, significant decrease of average HbA1c levels (average 0.9%, median 0.8%, P < 0.001) was observed after education. The changes in average HbA1c levels were prominent in patients who were educated for the first time. On follow-up, HbA1c level at 3 months was significantly decreased (P = 0.009) but after 9 months, it tended to increase again. The decrease of average HbA1c levels after education was negatively correlated with disease duration (r = -0.60, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The short-term effect of the diabetes education program with intensified treatment in diabetic children and adolescents was optimistic but regular education and support in these patients should be sustained.
Adolescent ; Behavior Therapy ; Child ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Social Workers ; Specialization

PURPOSE: Exercise is frequently recommended in the management of diabetes mellitus(DM) and can improve blood control by increasing insulin sensitivity and psychological benefits. Exercise can result in good glycemic control in type 2 DM, when combined with diet and drug therapy. However, in type 1 DM, the expected improvement in glycemic control with exercise have not been clearly established. Effects of exercise on glycemic control in patients with type 1 DM were investigated. METHODS: 20 patients with of type 1 DM, who were no retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy and cardiac disorders, were enrolled and exercised for 30min. with 50% of individualized maximum VO2. Blood sugar concentration were measured before, immediate and 15min after exercise. The results were evaluated with HbA1c, C-peptide and DM duration. RESULTS: Blood sugar concentration were significantly decreased from pre-exercise 198+/-9.7mg/dL to immediate 145+/-7.1mg/dL and at 15min. Post-exercise 134+/-4.0mg/dL(P<0.05). In case with HbA1c<10%, there was significantly decreased in blood sugar level from pre-exercise 176+/-9.7mg/dL to immediate 123+/-63.2mg/dL and at 15min post-exercise 113+/-1.9mg/dL(P<0.05). In case with HbA1c>10% there was also significantly decreased in blood sugar levels 222+/-64.7mg/dL, 169+/-6.1mg/dL, 157+/-1.2mg/dL respectively(P<0.05). Group with moderate decreased blood sugar(40-99mg/dL) was 8 patients(42.1%), group with mild decreased blood sugar(<40mg/dL) was 7 patients(36.8%) and group with decreased more than 100mg/dL was 4 patients(21.5%). There was no correlation in degree of decreased blood sugar concentration among HbA1c, C-peptide, DM duration. CONCLUSION: Proper exercise in type 1 diabetic children can decrease blood sugar level significantly and make good glycemic control and can decrease DM microvascular complications in addition to motivating physically active lifestyle.
Blood Glucose ; C-Peptide ; Child ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1* ; Diet ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Life Style

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effect of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSⅡ) versus multiple daily injection (MDI) on blood glucose control in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 91 children with T1DM who were treated with CSⅡ for more than 1 year and 75 children with T1DM who were treated with MDI. The two groups were compared in terms of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and the recurrence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) to evaluate the difference in the efficacy during the 3-year follow-up. A survey was conducted for the children in the CSⅡ group and their family members to investigate the degree of satisfaction with insulin pump. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in age, sex, and course of diabetes between the CSⅡ and MDI groups at disease onset and in the first year, the second year, and the third year of follow-up ( CONCLUSIONS Children with T1DM treated with CSⅡ have a better control of blood glucose than those treated with MDI, and children and their family members are satisfied with CSⅡ treatment. Therefore, it holds promise for clinical application.
Child ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/drug therapy* ; Diabetic Ketoacidosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Insulins ; Retrospective Studies

Humans ; Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor/agonists* ; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies/drug therapy* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Diabetes mellitus is common in our increasingly affluent and ageing population. Although it is an old friend of practising family physicians, there is a need to be familiar with and up to date about the disease. As patients become more informed and receptive to current medical information, family physicians also need to stay current. This article highlights the evidences that have shaped our current treatment targets for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; blood ; therapy ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; therapy ; Family Practice ; methods ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; metabolism ; Humans ; Physicians, Family

Exercise is vital for diabetics to improve their blood glucose level. However, the quantitative relationship between exercise modes (including types, intensity, time, etc.) and the blood glucose is still not clear. In order to answer these questions, this paper established a blood glucose metabolic model based on ordinary differential equation method. Furthermore, a silico method was adopted to study the effects of different aerobic exercise intensities (light, moderate and vigorous) on blood glucose and optimal strategies of insulin infusion for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Additionally, the universality of proposed model and insulin infusion strategies was verified based on 1 000 virtual diabetes patients' simulation. The experimental results showed that: (1) Vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise may result in hypoglycemia (< 3.89 mmol/L), which was so harmful to health that diabetics should avoid. Compared with moderate-intensity exercise, the light-intensity aerobic exercise intuitively lowered blood glucose slowly and caused a relative long high-blood-glucose (> 6.11 mmol/L) period, however, its overall blood glucose risk index (BGRI) was lower. (2) Insulin dosage of the optimized strategies decreased by 50% and 84% for T1DM and T2DM when they did moderate intensity exercise. As for light intensity exercise, the dosage of insulin was almost the same as they didn't do exercise, but BGRI decreased significantly. (3) The simulations of 1 000 virtual diabetic patients manifested that the proposed model and the insulin infusion strategies had good universality. The results of this study can not only help to improve the quantitative understanding about the effects of aerobic exercise on blood glucose of diabetic patients, but also contribute to the regulation and management of blood glucose in exercise mode.
Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Computer Simulation ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Exercise ; Humans ; Insulin ; administration & dosage ; Models, Theoretical