Diabetes Flashcards
What can cause insulin resistance
Obesity
T2DM
MASLD
What endocrinopathies can cause high blood glucose
Cushing’s syndrome
Acromegaly
Phaeochromocytoma
Glucagonoma
What can cause reduced insulin secretion
T1DM
MODY
Neonatal diabetes
Pancreatic disease
- pancreatitis, malignancy, CF, haemochromatosis
Summarise diabetes/ high blood glucose aetiology
Insulin resistance
- T2DM
- MASLD
- Obesity
- MODY
Endocrinopathies
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Acromegaly
- Pheochromocytoma
- Glucagonoma
Reduced insulin secretion
- T1DM
- Neonatal diabetes
- MODY
Pancreatic disease
- pancreatitis
- CF
- Haemochromatosis
- malignancy
How is the blood glucose threshold for diabetes defined
Risk of retinopathy
Except in gestational - risk to foetus
What can be used to measure endogenous insulin secretion
C peptide
What is HbA1c
- Haemoglobin exposed to glucose becomes glycated
- The amount of glycation is proportional to the glucose
Why is HbA1c useful
As a RBC survives for ~90 days the HbA1 gives a measure of glucose exposure over the last 90 days - used in diagnosis and monitoring
In what conditions might HbA1c not be as useful
HbA1c should be used with caution in conditions of increased or reduced RBC turnover e.g. haemolytic anaemia
Diabetes diagnosis investigations
If symptomatic => At least one test on one occasion must be positive
If asymptomatic => At least one test on two occasions must be positive
Either:
- Fasting glucose >/= 7mmol/L OR
- Random glucose >/= 11.1 OR
- 2 hr glucose in OGTT >/= 11.1 OR
- HbA1c >/= 48 mmol/mol
NOTE: HbA1c can’t be used in T1DM or gestational diabetes
Diabetes clinical features
Polydipsia, polyuria & polyphagia (3 P’s classic triad) +/-
Tiny (weight loss), Tired, Terrible (blurred) vision, (genital) Thursh (4T’s)
What is T1DM
Absolute insulin deficiency due to T cell mediated autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells
What HLA genotype is associated with T1DM
DR3-DQ2 or DR4-DQ8
If you were to biopsy the pancreatic beta cells of a patient with T1DM what would you find
Insulitis visable on β-cell biopsy with lymphocytic infiltrate
T1DM diagnosis
- General diabetes diagnostic criteria
- Can measure GAD/IA2 antibodies if in doubt
- C peptide will be low after ~3 months AFTER initial diagnosis (not on diagnosis)
T1DM treatment
Basal-bolus insulin regime (MDI or CSII)
Carb counting
Pre exercising glucose measuring
Sick day rules
If severe episodic hypoglycaemia => islet transplantation
T1DM sick day rules
S - sugar checks around every 4 hrs
I - (continue normal) insulin
C - carbs in small portions, keep hydrated
K - ketone check & escalate
What causes insulin resistance in skeletal muscle cells in obesity
Impairment of insulin signalling!
- FFAs decreases insulin receptor tyrosine kinase
- This decreases the activation of downstream proteins
- This eventually results in GLUT4 not being translocated to the skeletal muscle membrane
What causes insulin resistance in adipose tissue in obesity
Obesity-induced inflammation as adipose tissue secretes pro-inflammatory cytokines e.g. TNF-⍺
What causes insulin resistance in hepatic tissue in obesity
In the liver pathway selective insulin resistance occurs where insulin binding still causes lipogenesis but not glucose uptake & metabolism
This is because of the increased FFAs in patients with obesity that need to be removed from the bloodstream & converted to VLDL in the liver by lipogenesis
What are two genetic conditions that cause insulin resistance (by acting on insulin receptors
Leprechaunism (Donohue syndrome)
Rabson Medenhall syndrome
What is the gold standard technique to investigate insulin sensitivity/resistance
hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp
What is T2DM
Relative insulin deficiency
Combination of insulin resistance & less severe deficiency