diabetes type 2 Flashcards
whats the simplified pathophysiology of diabetes type 2?
- repeated glucose and insulin exposure make the cells resistant to insulin
- more insulin is required
- pancreas becomes fatigued and damage from overworked
- insulin output is reduced
how is hyperglaecemia in patients with type 2 diabetes caused, and what complications can it lead to?
- high carb diet
- insulin resistance
- reduced pancreatic function
ALL CAUSE CHRONIC HYPERGLAEMEMIA - this leads to microvascular, macrovascular and infectious complications
what are the non-modifiable risk factors
- Older age
- Ethnicity (Black African or Caribbean and South Asian)
- Family history
what are the modifiable risk factors
- Obesity
- Sedentary lifestyle
- High carbohydrate (particularly sugar) diet
what is the typical clinical presentation of someone with type 2 diabetes?
- Tiredness
- Polyuria and polydipsia (frequent urination and excessive thirst)
- Unintentional weight loss
- Opportunistic infections (e.g., oral thrush)
- Slow wound healing
- Glucose in urine (on a dipstick)
- (acanthosis nigricans - thickening and darkening of skin - insulin resistance)
what does a HbA1c of 42 – 47 mmol/mol indicate?
pre-diabetes
what is the HbA1c is a blood test
reflects the average glucose level over the previous 2-3 months.
what is pre-diabetes and what indicates it
Pre-diabetes is an indication that the patient is heading towards diabetes. They do not fit the full diagnostic criteria but should be educated about the risk of diabetes and lifestyle changes.
An HbA1c of 42 – 47 mmol/mol indicates pre-diabetes.
what is done to diagnose type 2 diabetes?
An HbA1c of 48 mmol/mol or above
The sample is typically repeated after 1 month to confirm the diagnosis (unless there are symptoms or signs of complications).
what are the treatment targets for diabetes?
HbA1c treatment targets:
- 48 mmol/mol for new type 2 diabetics
- 53 mmol/mol for patients requiring more than one antidiabetic medication
The HbA1c is measured every 3 to 6 months until under control and stable.
what is the medical management for type 2 diabetes?
1) first-line - metformin
2) if the patient has QRISK score above 10% consider SGLT-2 inhibitor
3) second-line - metformin add a SGLT-2 inhibitor
4) third-line options are:
- Triple therapy with metformin and SGLT2 and add a DPP-4 or GLP1
5) Insulin therapy (initiated by the specialist diabetic nurses)
what is the role of metformin?
- increases insulin sensitivity
- decreases glucose production by the liver
- doesn’t cause weight gain - can actually cause weight loss
what class of medication is melformin?
biguanide
what are the side effects of metformin?
- Gastrointestinal symptoms, including pain, nausea and diarrhoea (depending on the dose)
- Lactic acidosis (e.g., secondary to acute kidney injury)
what would you suggest to patients on metformin who are experiencing gastrointinestinal side effects?
modified-release metformin
what suffix do SGLT-2 inhibitors end with?
-gliflozin
what is the action of SGLT-2 inhibitors in terms of diabetes type 2?
- the SGLT-2 inhibitor is on proximal tubules of kidneys which rebasorbs glucose from urine into blood
- inhibitors block this to allow more glucose to go into the urine
- reduces blood pressure, leads to weight loss, improves heart failure
when do SGLT2-inhibitors cause hypoglycemia?
when used with insulin or sulfonylureas
what are the side effects of SGLT-2 inhibitors?
- Glycosuria (glucose in the urine)
- Increased urine output and frequency
- Genital and urinary tract infections (e.g., thrush)
- Weight loss
- Diabetic ketoacidosis, notably with only moderately raised glucose
- Lower-limb amputation may be more common in patients on canagliflozin (unclear if this applies to the others)
- Fournier’s gangrene (rare but severe infection of the genitals or perineum)
what does pioglitazone do and what type of drug class is it?
- its a thiazolindinedione
- it increases insulin sensitivity
- it decreases liver production of glucose
what are the notable side effects of pioglitazone?
- Weight gain
- Heart failure
- Increased risk of bone fractures
- A small increase in the risk of bladder cancer
which drugs used to manage diabetes type 2 can cause hypoglycemia?
- metformin - NO
- SGLT-2 - YES
- pioglitazone - NO
- sulfony;ureas - YES
- DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 mimetics - NO
whats the role of sulfonyureas?
- stimulate insulin release from the pancreas