Background Despite strong evidence of benefit, uptake of newer glucose-lowering medications that reduce cardiovascular risk has been low. We sought to examine global trends and predictors of use of SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods DISCOVER is a global, prospective, observational study of patients with diabetes enrolled from 2014–16 at initiation of second-line glucose-lowering therapy and followed for 3 years. We used hierarchical logistic regression to examine factors associated with use of either an SGLT2i or GLP-1 RA at last follow-up and to assess country-level variability. Results Among 14,576 patients from 37 countries, 1579 (10.8%) were started on an SGLT2i (1275; 8.7%) or GLP-1 RA (318; 2.2%) at enrollment, increasing to 16.1% at end of follow-up, with large variability across countries (range 0–62.7%). Use was highest in patients treated by cardiologists (26.1%) versus primary care physicians (10.4%), endocrinologists (16.9%), and other specialists (22.0%; p < 0.001). Coronary artery disease (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.08–1.54) was associated with greater use of SGLT2i or GLP-1 RA while peripheral artery disease (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.54–1.00) and chronic kidney disease (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.58–0.94) were associated with lower use (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.54–1.00). The country-level median odds ratio was 3.48, indicating a very large amount of variability in the use of SGLT2i or GLP-1 RA independent of patient demographic and clinical factors. Conclusions Global use of glucose-lowering medications with established cardiovascular benefits has increased over time but remains suboptimal, particularly in sub-groups most likely to benefit. Substantial country-level variability exists independent of patient factors, suggesting structural barriers may limit more widespread use of these medications.

BackgroundDiabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in economically active populations. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence and to identify risk factors for diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes in Brazil.MethodsThis was a nationwide, cross-sectional study conducted between August 2010 and August 2014. The study included 1760 patients with type 1 diabetes. Patients underwent a standard questionnaire, clinical and laboratory analyses and were screened for diabetic retinopathy. To analyze the risk factors related to diabetic retinopathy, two models of logistic regression models were performed, one considering vision-threatening cases and the other with any diabetic retinopathy cases as dependent variables. The group with vision-threatening included patients with severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, proliferative diabetic retinopathy and macular edema.ResultsIn total, 1644 patients (mean age, 30.1± 12.0 years; duration of diabetes, 15.3 ± 9.3 years; female, 55.8%) were studied. 35.7% presented diabetic retinopathy and 12% presented vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy. Three risk factors associated with diabetic retinopathy were in common to both groups: longer diabetes duration (OR 1.07; 95% CI, 1.05–1.09), higher levels of HbA1c (OR 1.24; CI, 1.17–1.32) and higher levels of serum uric acid (OR 1.22; CI, 1.13–1.31) (p < 0.001 for all comparisons).ConclusionThe higher rate of vision-threatening retinopathy found in our study highlights the need to improve access to eye care and screening programs for diabetic retinopathy in Brazil. In addition to traditional risk factors, we found an association between serum uric acid levels and diabetic retinopathy. Further studies are needed to address this association.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-5859-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In recent decades, Diabetes Mellitus has become a severe and growing global public healthcare problem due to the increase of its prevalence, morbidity and mortality. Post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a complication which takes place after a solid organ transplant, and its incidence is widely variable, ranging from 2 to 53%. Some factors increase the risk of PTDM, such as age, ethnicity, cadaver-donor kidney presence of the hepatitis C virus and cytomegalovirus, overweight and obesity and the Immunosuppression scheme established in the immediate post-transplant period. High doses of tacrolimus and corticosteroid represent the highest risk for developing PTDM.Considering that the development of PTDM is associated with a higher risk of complications, such as infections and cardiovascular disease -thus representing a higher life threatening risk and a higher cost for the Health System -the relevance of identifying the risk factors and of the early diagnosis combined with appropriate therapy will be high for the follow up, and eventually resulting in the success of the procedure as far as patient survival and transplantation durability.

Background Data on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is controversial and so far, there are no published data on the Brazilian population. We investigated the prevalence of steatosis and hepatic fibrosis in a population with T1D from a tertiary care center in Brazil and its associated factors. Methods Ninety-five participants with T1D, aged 39 ± 13 years, with disease duration of 21 ± 9 years, being 55 (57.9%) females, from a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, were screened for NAFLD with hepatic ultrasound (US) and transient elastography (TE). Results Prevalence of steatosis was, respectively, 12.6% and 16.8% when US and TE were used for diagnosis of NAFLD. Fibrosis was present in 8.4% of participants. A total of 31.6% of participants had at least one of the hepatic exams altered, which was associated with higher body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference and waist-to-hip ratio,, presence of metabolic syndrome and higher triglycerides levels, even within the normal range. After multivariate analysis, presence of steatosis was only associated with metabolic syndrome and its component, triglycerides. Conclusion In our study, prevalence of NAFLD in ultrasound approximates the one found with TE. Fibrosis was not frequent. Screening should be reserved for participants with T1D and metabolic syndrome, as this was the main factor associated with NAFLD. Triglycerides levels were the only component of metabolic syndrome associated with steatosis. Further studies are necessary to determine the best screening strategy for NAFLD in individuals with T1D. Also, predisposing factors for development in fibrosis in T1D should be further explored in prospective studies.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN), although considered as an independent risk factor for CVD, remains underdiagnosed. The aim of this paper was to determine the prevalence, predictors of CAN in patients with T1D and its association with other chronic complications of diabetes. Patients with T1D underwent a clinical-epidemiological survey, had blood and urinary samples collected, performed ophthalmoscopic and clinical neurological examination and cardiovascular reflex tests. One hundred and fifty one patients with T1D, 53.6% female, 45.7% Caucasian, mean age of 33.4 ± 13 years, diabetes duration of 16.3 ± 9.5 years, and glycated hemoglobin levels of 9.1 ± 2% were evaluated. The prevalence of CAN in the studied population was 30.5%. CAN was associated with age (p = 0.01), diabetes duration (p = 0.036), hypertension (p = 0.001), resting heart rate (HR) (p = 0.000), HbA1c (p = 0.048), urea (p = 0.000), creatinine (p = 0.008), glomerular filtration rate (p = 0.000), urinary albumin concentration (p = 0.000), LDL (p = 0.048), free T4 (p = 0.023), hemoglobin (p = 0.01) and presence of retinopathy (p = 0.000), nephropathy (p = 0.000) and diabetic neuropathy (p = 0.000), the following symptoms syncope (p = 0.000), post prandial nausea (p = 0.042), early satiety (p = 0.031), sexual dysfunction (p = 0.049), and gustatory sweating (p = 0.018). In logistic regression model, it was observed that only resting HR, diabetic neuropathy, and retinopathy were independent associated with CAN. In conclusion, CAN is a common chronic complication of T1D affecting about 30% of the studied population and is associated with the presence of other chronic complications. Indicators of CAN included age, diabetes duration, hypertension, resting HR, diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy, and symptoms suggestive of autonomic neuropathy. This study confirms the importance of systematic and early screening for CAN.