AimsHypoglycaemia presents a barrier to optimum diabetes management but data are limited on the frequency of hypoglycaemia incidents outside of clinical trials. The present study investigated the rates of self-reported non-severe hypoglycaemic events, hypoglycaemia awareness and physician discussion of events in people with Type 1 diabetes mellitus or insulin-treated Type 2 diabetes mellitus.MethodsPeople in seven European countries aged >15 years with Type 1 diabetes or insulin–treated Type 2 diabetes (basal-only, basal-bolus and other insulin regimens) were recruited via consumer panels, nurses, telephone recruitment and family referrals. Respondents completed four online questionnaires. The first questionnaire collected background information on demographics and hypoglycaemia-related behaviour, whilst all four questionnaires collected data on non-severe hypoglycaemic events in the preceding 7 days.ResultsAnalysis was based on 11 440 respondent-weeks from 3827 respondents. All participants completed the first questionnaire and 57% completed all four. The mean number of events/respondent–week was 1.8 (Type 1 diabetes) and 0.4–0.7 (Type 2 diabetes, with different insulin treatments) corresponding to annual event rates of 94 and 21–36, respectively. A total of 63% of respondents with Type 1 diabetes and 49–64% of respondents with Type 2 diabetes, treated with different insulin regimens, who experienced hypoglycaemic events, reported impaired hypoglycaemia awareness or unawareness. A high proportion of respondents rarely or never informed their general practitioner/specialist about hypoglycaemia: 65% (Type 1 diabetes) and 50–59% (Type 2 diabetes). Overall, 16% of respondents with Type 1 diabetes and 26% of respondents with Type 2 diabetes reported not being asked about hypoglycaemia during routine appointments.ConclusionNon-severe hypoglycaemic events are common amongst people with Type 1 diabetes and insulin–treated Type 2 diabetes in real-world settings. Many rarely or never inform their general practitioner/specialist about their hypoglycaemia and the real burden of hypoglycaemia may be underestimated.

Background: Previous studies have shown that statin use may reduce prostate cancer risk. In the current study, we evaluated the association between serum cholesterol -lowering medication use and prostate cancer risk at the population level. Materials and Methods: All newly diagnosed prostate cancer cases in Finland during 1995 to 2002 and matched controls (24,723 case control pairs) were identified from the Finnish Cancer Registry and the Population Register Center, respectively. Detailed information on cholesterol-lowering drug purchases during the study period was obtained from the prescription database of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, having ever-use of any statin was associated with mar-

OBJECTIVE -The aim of this secondary analysis of the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study was to assess the effects of lifestyle intervention on metabolic syndrome and its components. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-A total of 522 middle-aged overweight men and women with impaired glucose tolerance were randomized into an individualized lifestyle intervention group or a standard care control group. National Cholesterol Education Program criteria were used for the definition of metabolic syndrome.RESULTS -At the end of the study, with a mean follow-up of 3.9 years, we found a significant reduction in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the intervention group compared with the control group (odds ratio [OR] R ecent studies (1-4) have shown that lifestyle intervention reduces the risk of progression from impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to manifest type 2 diabetes. The aim of this secondary analysis of the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (DPS) was to assess the effects of lifestyle intervention on metabolic syndrome and its components.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -The DPS design, subjects, and methods applied have previously been described (2,5,6). Altogether, 522 middle-aged (mean age 55 Ϯ 7 years) and overweight (mean BMI 31.2 Ϯ 4.6 kg/m 2 ) men (n ϭ 172) and women (n ϭ 350) with IGT were randomized into either an intensive lifestyle intervention group or a standard care control group. Blood samples were collected and an oral glucose tolerance test was performed at baseline and at each annual visit. Updated National Cholesterol Education Program 2005 criteria (7) were used for the definition of metabolic syndrome. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 11.5; SPSS, Chicago, IL). For those participants who developed diabetes according to the World Health Organization guidelines of 1985 (8) or who dropped out during the study, the measurements from the last observation were used as the final end value. Wilcoxon's nonparametric test was used to compare the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components within the groups. Regression analyses adjusted for sex, age, blood pressure and cholesterol medications, and baseline status were applied to compare the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components between the groups.RESULTS -The prevalence of metabolic syndrome decreased during the first year from 74.0 to 58.0% vs. from 74.0 to 67.7% (P ϭ 0.018 for the change between the groups) in the intervention and control groups, respectively. At the end of the study, 62.6% of subjects in the intervention group and 71.2% of subjects in the control group (P ϭ 0.025 for the change between the groups) had metabolic syndrome, which corresponds to an age-and sex-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.62 (95% CI 0.40 -0.95) in the intervention group compared with the control group.

A physician should always consider the Charcot neuroarthropathy when a diabetic patient has an inflamed foot. In the absence of fever, elevated CRP or ESR, infection is a highly unlikely diagnosis, and a Charcot process should primarily be considered. The initial treatment of an inflamed Charcot foot consists in sufficiently long non-weightbearing with a cast, which should start immediately after the diagnosis. The prerequisites of successful reconstructive surgery are correct timing, adequate fixation and a long postoperative non-weightbearing period. In the resolution stage most Charcot foot patients need custom-molded footwear.