Diabetes Flashcards
What 3 end-organ complications are diabetes the leading cause of in Canadian adults? (CDA)
- Blindness
- ESRD
- Nontraumatic amputation
What is the leading cause of death in individuals with diabetes? (CDA)
- Cardiovascular disease – 2-4x higher incidence than in people without diabetes
What is the definition of diabetes mellitus? (CDA)
- A metabolic disorder characterized by the presence of hyperglycemia due to defective insulin secretion, defective insulin action or both
What is the difference between Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational diabetes? (CDA)
- Type 1 Diabetes: diabetes that is primarily a result of pancreatic beta cell destruction (immune-mediated process) and is prone to ketoacidosis
- Type 2 Diabetes: diabetes may range from predominant insulin resistance with relative insulin deficiency to a predominant secretory defect with insulin resistance
- Gestational Diabetes: glucose intolerance with onset or first recognition during pregnancy
What are the diagnostic criteria for diabetes based on? (CDA)
- Thresholds of glycemia that are associated with microvascular disease, especially retinopathy
What are the diagnostic criteria for diabetes? (CDA)
Fasting Plasma Glucose
≥7.0 mmol/L
2-hour plasma glucose after a 75 g oral GTT
≥11.1 mmol/L
Glycated hemoglobin (A1c)
≥6.5%
What are 5 reasons why A1c may be preferable to FPG or 2hPG? (CDA)
- Measured at any time of day
- More convenient
- Reflects the average PG over the previous 2 to 3 months
- Continuous cardiovascular (CV) risk factor
- Better predictor of MACROvascular events than FPG or 2hPG
In which patients may A1c be misleading? (CDA)
- Hemoglobinopathies
- Iron deficiency
- Hemolytic anemias
- Severe hepatic disease
- Severe renal disease
- Ethnicities (African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics, Asians)
- Age (increase by 0.1% per decade of life)

In which type of patients is A1c not recommended for the diagnosis of diabetes? (CDA)
- Children
- Adolescents
- Pregnant women
- Suspected Type 1 Diabetes
When the result for one test for diabetes is in the diagnostic range, what should then be done to confirm the diagnosis? (CDA)
- In the absence of symptomatic hyperglycemia, a REPEAT confirmatory laboratory test must be done on ANOTHER day
- It is preferable that the SAME test be repeated for confirmation
- If the results of more than one type of test for diabetes are available and are discordant, the test whose result is above the diagnostic cut point should be repeated
What are the diagnostic criteria for prediabetes? (CDA)
Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG)
6.1-6.9 mmol/L
Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT)
7.8-11.0 mmol/L
Prediabetes
6.0-6.4%
What combination of plasma glucose tests are predictive of 100% progression to type 2 diabetes over a 5-year period? (CDA)
- FPG 6.1 to 6.9 mmol/L AND A1c 6.0 to 6.4%
What is the definition of the metabolic syndrome? (CDA)
≥3 measures to make the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome
Waist Circumference
≥102 cm (Men) / ≥88 cm (Women)
TG
≥1.7 mmol/L
HDL
<1.0 mmol/L (Men) / <1.3 mmol/L (Women)
BP
SBP ≥130 mm Hg and/or DBP ≥85 mm Hg
FPG
≥5.6 mmol/L
What is the evidence to support a strategy of population-based screening for type 2 diabetes? (CDA)
- No current evidence of clinical benefit
When does the CDA recommend that screening for diabetes begin? (CDA)
- Screening for diabetes using FPG and/or A1c should be performed every 3 years in individuals ≥40 years of age or at high risk using a risk calculator?
What are 10 risk factors for type 2 diabetes? (CDA)
- 1st degree relative with type 2 diabetes
- Ethnicity (Aboriginal, African, Asian, Hispanic or South Asian)
- History of prediabetes
- History of gestational diabetes mellitus
- History of delivery of a macrosomic infant
- Presence of end organ damage complications associated with diabetes
- Microvascular (retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy)
- Macrovascular (coronary, cerebrovascular, peripheral)
- Presence of vascular risk factors (Metabolic Syndrome)
- Presence of associated diseases
- PCOS
- Acanthosis nigricans
- OSA
- Psychiatrics disorders (bipolar, depression, schizophrenia)
- HIV
- Use of drugs associated with diabetes
- Glucocorticoids
- Atypical antipsychotics
- HAART
In what 2 circumstances does the CDA recommend using the 2hPG in a 75 g OGTT for diabetes screening? (CDA)
- Individuals with a FPG 6.1-6.9 mmol/L and/or A1c 6.0-6.4% (Prediabetes)
- Individuals with FPG 5.6-6.0 mmol/L and/or A1c 5.5-5.9% and ≥1 risk factor

What does the CDA recommend as options to prevent type 2 diabetes in individuals with IGT? What is the evidence for these? (CDA)
- Structured program of lifestyle modification and regular physical activity that includes moderate weight loss (Grade A, Level 1A)
- Dietary modification (low-calorie, low-fat, low-saturated fat, high-fibre diet) and moderate-intensity physical activity (at least 150 minutes per week) resulted in moderate weight loss of approximately 5% of initial body weight
- Reduced risk of DM2 by 58% at 4 years
- Metformin 850 mg BID (Grade A, Level 1A)
- ~30% reduction at 2.8 years
- No effect in older age group (≥60 years) and in non-obese (BMI<35)
- Acarbose 100 mg TID (Grade A, Level 1A)
- ~30% reduction but did not persist when discontinued
- 49% reduction in CV events
What target glucose level is recommended for treating patients with diabetes? (CDA)
- Therapy in most individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes should be targeted to achieve an A1c 7.0% in order to reduce the risk of microvascular and, IF IMPLEMENTED EARLY in the course of disease, macrovascular complications [Grade B, Level 3]

What are the glycemic targets for patients with diabetes in the fasting and postprandial states? (CDA)

In which patients may less stringent A1c targets (7.1-8.5%) be appropriate? (CDA)
- Limited life expectancy
- High level of functional dependency
- Extensive CAD at high risk of ischemic events
- Multiple comorbidities
- History of recurrent severe hypoglycemia
- Hypoglycemia unawareness
- Longstanding diabetes for whom it is difficult to achieve an A1c ≤7.0% despite effective doses of multiple antihyperglycemic agents, including intensified basal-bolus insulin therapy
What is the evidence regarding improved glycemic control in diabetes from randomized controlled studies? (CDA)
- Reduces the risk of MICROvascular complications
- NO significant effect on MACROvascular outcomes in recently diagnosed type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as well as more long-standing type 2 diabetes
- Follow-up data from DCCT and UKPDS studies (conducted in RECENTLY DIAGNOSED diabetes) found benefit with CV outcomes in those originally randomized to intensive treatment [THIS IS WHY RECOMMENDATION SPECIFIES “IF IMPLEMENTED EARLY”]
What did the UKPDS trial find that supports the A1c target of <7.0%? (TFP)
- NEWLY diagnosed diabetics, age ~50s, few co-morbidities, receiving single glucose-lowering therapy (to start) versus diet
- Sulfonylurea or insulin – median 10 year A1c 7.0% vs 7.9%
- Reduction in death (NNT=29) and MI (NNT=36)
- Metformin – median 10 year A1c 7.4% vs 8.0%
- Sulfonylurea or insulin – median 10 year A1c 7.0% vs 7.9%
Reduction in death (NNT=14) and MI (NNT=16
What are the 3 major trials that looked at the effect of intensive glycemic control on patients with long-standing type 2 diabetes? (CDA)
- ACCORD
- ADVANCE
- VADT















