Diabetes Mellitus Flashcards
What is diabetes mellitus?
a chronic syndrome of hyperglycaemia with anomalies in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabiolism due to lack of insulin production, decreased cellular insulin sensitivity or both
Genetic susceptibility plays a key role in what kind of diabetes?
Type II diabetes
(to a lesser extent in type I diabetes) following twin studies
What serotypes increase an individuals susceptibility to diabetes 14 fold?
- HLA-DR3
- HLA-DR4
What countries have the highest incidence of diabetes?
Nordic countries
What countries have the lowest incidence of diabetes?
Asian countries
Verge postulated that early exposure to __________ could increase diabetic risk in infants
dairy milk
What viral infections have been associated with increased diabetes risk?
- congenital rubella
- 20% of new cases were positve with coxsackie antibodies
Insulin resistance is observed in ________ stages of pregnancy
later stage
What is the effect of physical activity type II diabetes?
diminishes risk by:
* increasing sensitivity to insulin
* glucose metabolism
The basis for the autoimmune theory of diabetes stems from …
inflammation within the islets of langerhans
autoimmune destruction of B cells.
What happens to B cells as diabetes (type I) progresses ?
- decrease in number
- decrease in their ability to regenerate
More than __% of type I diabetics have autoantibodies against B cells
90%
In type I diabetes there is often a normal count of other langerhans cells (a-cells, PP cells). True or false
True
Give examples of autoantibodies that can be implicated in type I diabetes
- islet cell antibody
- glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody
- zinc transporter 8
What autoantigen is postulated to be implicated in the selective descruction of B cells?
pro-insulin
Present in b-cells and not in other langerhans cells
Genetic susceptibility to diabetes comes from what groups of genes?
Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genes
What HLA genes have a strong association with diabetes ?
HLA-DR3
HLA- DR4
What type of white cell is the most abundant in islet lesions?
T-lymphocytes
followed by macrophages, lymphocytes and plasma cells
What type of immunity is involved in the pathogenesis
- humoral immunity (plasma cells)
- cellular immunity (white cells)
What is the role of insulin?
acts on insulin sensitive tissue such as adipose and muscle to encourage glucose uptake
What is the response of B cells to insulin resistance?
to increase insulin manufacture to preserve normal glucose tolerance
The reduction of B cells seen in diabetes is due to …
elevated glucose, fatty acids and amyloid deposition which causes B cell apoptosis
B cell loss in type II diabetes is amplified by …
the fact that the pancreas is incapable of regenerating B cells beyond the 3rd decade
so afer 30 years b cell regeneration is difficult /impossible
What is the function of GLP-1?
glucagon like peptide- 1 (produced in the gut)
acts on b cells to enhance insulin production
acts on a cells to suppress glucagon production
What is the effect of type II diabetes on GLP-1 ?
glucagon suppression by GLP-1 on a cells is insufficient
The levels of GLP-1 in diabetic patients are lower in comparison to non-diabetic patients. True or false
false
levels in diabetic and non-diabetic patients are similar
What part of the CNS regulates liver glucose?
hypothalamus
What is the role of bile acids in glucose homeostasis ?
they instigate fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF-19) which induces glycogen and reduces glucose production
What is the consequence of hypothalamic inflammation that is caused by a fatty diet?
leads to reduced insulin sensitivity and dysregulation of body weight
What is the consequence of a high fat diet and physical inactivity?
- initial fill of adipose tissue under the skin
- fat accumulates and is then stored in muscle, liver, pancreas, blood vessels and pericardial tissue.
- adiposity in intra-abdominal cavity leads to impaired glucose uptake due to intracellular impairment of glucose signalling
Outline the ways in which you can test for diabetes
- random venous plasma glucose
- fasting plasma glucose
- oral glucose tolerance test
- glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c)
*
What is the cut-off point of FPG?
126mg/dl
What is the cut-off point of OGTT?
200mg/dl
What is the purpose of HbA1c test ?
useful for assessing the adequacy of glycaemic control, reflecting the mean plasma glucose over the previous 2 months
What instances is a HbA1c test unsuitable for diagnosis of diabetes?
- patients with haemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell anaemia or thalassaemia (RBCs affected)
- children
- acutely ill patients
- patients on steroids
What is pre-diabetes?
patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance
glucose levels are not elevated enough to be diabetes but greater than normally considered
When should pregnant women receive an OGTT? (as per endorsement by American Diabetes Association)?
24-28 weeks of gestation
Systemic manifestations of diabetes can be divided into …
microvascular and macrovascular
What types of complications are first to occur in diabetes? Give some examples
microvascular complications often occur first
retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy
Macrovascular complications that can arise from diabetes include…
- cardiovascular disease
- cerebrovascular accidents
What diabetic complication results from hyperglycaemia?
- diabetic ketoacidosis
What diabetic complication results from hypoglycaemia?
diabetic coma