Increased incidence of pre-diabetes mellitus at a department of rheumatology: a retrospective study

Abstract

We aimed to retrospectively review the incidence of pre-diabetes mellitus (preDM), one of the factors in metabolic syndrome screening, in patients with rheumatic diseases. We examined the levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in a total of 498 patients with rheumatic diseases between April 2007 and March 2008 at the Department of Rheumatology in Nagasaki University Hospital. Of the 498 patients, 409 (82.1%) had HbA1c levels higher than 5.6% (National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program; NGSP) and were recommended for health guidance with a focus on metabolic syndrome. Serum HbA1c levels higher than 6.0%, a possible indicator of DM, were seen in 227 patients (45.6%). Serum HbA1c levels higher than 6.5%, which constitute a high risk for DM, were found in 115 patients (23.1%). PreDM increased gradually with age. Our results suggest that the incidence of preDM may be higher in patients with rheumatic diseases than in patients with other diseases and that these patients should receive healthcare guidance to prevent metabolic syndrome.

Musculoskeletal manifestations in diabetic versus prediabetic patients

“…reported an interesting retrospective study which examined the levels of hemoglobin A1C in a total of 498 patients with rheumatic diseases over a 1‐year period. They observed HbA1C > 5.6% in 82% of patients and concluded that the incidence of prediabetes might be high in patients with rheumatic disease . The most common DMMM in our study was knee osteoarthritis followed by CTS and rotator cuff tendinitis.…”

Risk factors of adverse events during treatment in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an observational study

“…The number of DM patients in Japan has been steadily increasing, and thus it has also increased among RA patients. We examined the levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in 498 patients with RA . Serum HbA1c levels higher than 6.5% were found more often in RA patients (23.1%) compared to patients with other diseases (18.9%).…”

Regulation of Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling and the Diabetogenic Effects of Glucocorticoid Excess

“…Serum HbA1c levels higher than 52 mmol/mol (7.1%), were seen in 46% of the patients and 23% of the patients had HbA1c levels as high as 57 mmol/mol (7.6%) which should be considered as a high risk factor for diabetes. Taken together, it was found that the cumulative prednisolone dose was the only factor significantly associated with the development of steroid induced diabetes among rheumatic patients (Origuchi et al, 2011).…”