complications of diabetes Flashcards
what are some macrovascular complications of diabetes?
- stroke
- IHD (ischaemic heart disease)
what are some microvascular complications of diabetes?
- neuropathy
- nephropathy
- retinopathy
what is done to try detect complications early?
screening!!
annual review where we do:
- digital retinal screening
- foot risk assessment
- urine albumin: creatinine ratio, creatinine
what increases risk of complications?
-higher HbA1c
are microvascular and macrovascular complications seen if patient doesnt have diabetes?
macrovascular can be seen in patients without diabetes
microvascular only seen in patients with diabetes
how can excess glucose cause osmotic damage?
- excess glucose can trigger the polyol pathway which is controlled by aldose reductase
- polyol pathway produces sorbitol
- sorbitol can cause osmotic damage
- osmotic damage leads to production of reactive oxygen species
how can excess glucose create NADPH oxidase?
- excess glucose means more gluco-6-phopshate
- this triggers pentose phosphate pathway which can produce NADPH oxidase
- NADPH oxidase can increase reactive oxygen species
how may excess glucose affect the hexosamine pathway?
- excess glucose means more fuctose-6-phosphate
- hexosamine pathway means UDP-GlcNAC is created from fructose-6-phosphate
- UDP-GlcNAC causes inflammation and fibrosis
- this causes an increase in reactive oxygen species
how can excess glucose cause protein kinase C?
- excess glcuose means more glycerederide-3-phosphate
- G3P can form Diacyl Glycerol (DAG) which then can activate protein kinase C and cause inflammation and fibrosis
- this causes increase in reactive oxygen species
(THIS OFTEN CAUSES NEPHROPATHY IN KIDNEYS)
how can excess glucose cause advanced glycation end products (AGE) to be produces from G3P?
- excess glucose means there’s an increase in methyl glyoxal
- increase in methyl glyoxal causes production of Advanced glycation end products (AGE)
- AGE bind the RAGE (receptors of AGE) and trigger inflammatory response and increase reactive oxygen species
what are the stages of retinopathy?
progressive disease
- mild non proliferative (background)
- moderative non proliferative
- severe non proliferative
- proliferative
what are cotton wool spots in retinopathy?
-ischaemic areas
what are hard exudates in retinopathy?
-lipid break down products
what are IRMA in retinopathy?
intral retinal microvascular abnormalities (abnormalities of blood vessels/precursor to neovascularisation but blood vessels are patents (non leaky))
how is retinopathy graded?
R0-R4
how is maculopathy graded?
M0-M2
what are first changes diabetics get in retinopathy
micro aneurysms (benign)
what are the different type of haemorrhages in retinopathy?
- dot haemorrhage (small)
- blot haemorrhage (bit bigger)
- flame haemorrage (looks like flame)
what do hard exudates look like in retinopathy?
white marks
what do IRMAs look like?
-vascular changes (red blobs)
what is a sign of a patient going to haemorrage soon in retinopathy?
-new blood vessels forming
what can lead to loss of vision?
a bleed
how is a bleed in retina fixed?
surgery
what is treatment for pre proliferative retinopathy?
Pan retinal photocoagulation (laser zapping and killing off back of the retina)
-this reduces oxygen requirement of retina and ischaemia that is driving the retinopathy
what is used to assess diabetic macular oedema?
-optical coherence tomography is used to assess oedema