Undiagnosed diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance and cardiovascular risk.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M I Harris.
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OBJECTIVE: To assess whether medical care for diabetes is different among non-Hispanic whites, African-Americans, and Mexican-Americans with NIDDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to a representative U.S. sample of 2,170 noninstitutionalized adults with NIDDM. Information was obtained on physician visits, hyperglycemic therapy, monitoring of glycemic control, screening for and monitoring of complications, and diabetes education. RESULTS: About 90% of subjects had a regular diabetes physician, and the physician visit rate was similar by race (median of four visits per year). African-Americans were more likely to be treated with insulin (51.9%) than non-Hispanic whites (35.9%, P < 0.0001) and Mexican-Americans (46.2%). Among insulin-treated subjects, African-Americans were less likely to use multiple daily insulin injections (35.1 vs. 53.8% of non-Hispanic whites [P < 0.0001] and 50.5% of Mexican-Americans [P = 0.027]) and were less likely to self-monitor their blood glucose at least once per day (14.0 vs. 29.8% of non-Hispanic whites [P < 0.0001] and 29.0% of Mexican-Americans). The rates of visits to specialists for diabetes complications, physician testing of blood glucose, and screening for hypertension, retinopathy, and foot problems were not substantially different among the three race/ethnic groups. A higher proportion of African-Americans (43.3%) than non-Hispanic whites (31.5%, P < 0.0001) and Mexican-Americans (25.6%, P = 0.001) had received patient education; however, the median number of hours of instruction was lower for African-Americans. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of diabetes care is similar among non-Hispanic whites, African-Americans, and Mexican-Americans. The major differences relate to methods of glycemic control and patient education.
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OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiologic characteristics of physician care and self-care for adults with diabetes in the U.S. population. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: Data are drawn from the 1989 National Health Interview Survey, in which a personal household interview was administered to a representative sample of U.S. adults aged 18 years or older. The response rate was 96% (n = 84,572). All subjects identified as having diabetes previously diagnosed by a physician were asked a series of questions about their diabetes. Response rate for this representative sample of U.S. diabetic patients was 95% (n = 2405). MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported information was obtained about various aspects of diabetes care, including care by physicians and self-case practices of the diabetic persons. Sociodemographic and clinical factors that may influence diabetes care were also determined. RESULTS: More than 90% of diabetic adults had one physician for the usual care of their diabetes, but 32% made fewer than four visits to this physician each year. Most physician visits by diabetic patients were not made to diabetes specialists, and the visit rate to other health care professionals such as ophthalmologists, podiatrists, and nutritionists was low. About half of insulin-treated diabetic subjects used multiple daily insulin injections; and 40% of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, 26% of those with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) who were taking insulin, and 5% of those with NIDDM who were not taking insulin monitored their blood glucose level daily. Diabetes patient education classes had been attended by 35% of diabetic adults. CONCLUSIONS: These and other data indicate that medical care for diabetic patients and their self-care practices may not be optimal for prevention of diabetes complications. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial showed that achieving and maintaining near-normal glycemia, with a concomitant 50% to 70% reduction in diabetes complications, may require close monitoring and ongoing support from a health care team, ample financial resources, and advanced patient knowledge and motivation. Providing this level of diabetes management to all diabetic persons may require major changes in the health care system and in patient self-care practices.
Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) has been investigated in a large number of populations from different parts of the world and with differing lifestyles. The occurrence of IGT varies widely. IGT prevalence tends to increase with age, but there is no consistent relationship with gender. Prevalence is lower in groups with less obesity and having physically active lifestyles, such as those living in rural areas and having traditional lifestyles, even when subjects with the same genetic background are compared. Risk factors for IGT are similar to those for non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). IGT, characterized by hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance, is probably a stage in the pathogenesis of NIDDM. Therapies aimed at improving glucose tolerance and decreasing insulin resistance in subjects with IGT may, therefore, be able to delay or prevent the development of NIDDM.
PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of age-related maculopathy in three racial/ethnic groups, non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Mexican Americans. METHODS: People 40 years of age or older who participated in a nationally representative population-based sample of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were examined from 1988 to 1991. Age-related maculopathy was determined by grading of fundus photographs using a standardized protocol for a sample of 4007 persons. RESULTS: The prevalence of any age-related maculopathy in the civilian noninstitutionalized United States population including those 40 years of age or older was 9.2% as estimated from the sample. Prevalence was higher in non-Hispanic whites (9.3%) compared with non-Hispanic blacks (7.4%) and Mexican Americans (7.1%). Before 60 years of age, Mexican Americans (odds ratio [OR], 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0-2.35) and non-Hispanic blacks (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 0.86-2.95) had a greater chance of having any maculopathy than non-Hispanic whites; thereafter, Mexican Americans (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.44-0.90) and non-Hispanic blacks (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.37-0.68) had a lesser chance than non-Hispanic whites. CONCLUSION: These survey data indicate that age-related maculopathy is prevalent in all groups studied. Differences among the racial/ethnic groups vary by age and sex.
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The diagnostic criteria of the US National Diabetes Data Group and the World Health Organization have stimulated a major increase throughout the world in epidemiologic studies on the pathogenesis of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). They have established that much of NIDDM is undiagnosed, that onset of NIDDM occurs at least 7 y before its diagnosis, and that significant morbidity and premature mortality occur in subjects with undiagnosed diabetes. New studies have shown that rural or traditional-living populations are experiencing a major increase in the burden of NIDDM as they move to urban or nontraditional situations, often with 5- to 10-fold increases in NIDDM prevalence. Epidemiologic studies have documented that major risk factors for NIDDM include increasing age, greater obesity, longer duration of obesity, unfavourable body fat distribution, physical inactivity, and hyperinsulinemia. All these factors interact with unknown genetic factors to produce NIDDM. Studies have shown that genes for diabetes, as yet undetermined, are a necessary cause of NIDDM. Hyperinsulinemia exists in childhood in populations at high risk for NIDDM. Stimulated by obesity, upper body obesity, and physical inactivity, insulin resistance develops, accompanied by impaired glucose tolerance. The pressure of the NIDDM risk factors continues this process of insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia/hyperglycemia, until glucose toxicity to the beta cell results in inability to secrete sufficient insulin, resulting in decompensated fasting hyperglycemia.
BACKGROUND: Despite the significant role that dyslipidemia is believed to play in the development of cardiovascular disease in diabetes, most studies examining diabetic dyslipidemia in the United States have not been population based, and very little data are available for African Americans with diabetes. We used data from a national survey to compare the effect of diabetes on lipid concentrations in African-American and white men and women. In addition, we examined other factors related to lipid concentrations and controlled for these factors in our analyses. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey included a representative sample of 4177 African Americans and whites in the US civilian noninstitutionalized population 20 to 74 years old. These persons were classified as having non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (n = 720) or as being nondiabetic (n = 3457) based on an oral glucose tolerance test and a medical history of diabetes. Subjects were given an interview and physical examination that included measurement of serum lipoproteins, body mass index, body fat distribution, dietary fat intake, alcohol consumption, frequency of smoking, and use of medications. By univariate analysis, a worse profile of mean cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels was generally apparent in NIDDM than in nondiabetic subjects, regardless of race or sex; a similar pattern was found for the prevalence of abnormal concentrations of these lipids. Lipid profiles appeared to be worse in whites with NIDDM than in African Americans. For mean total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, concentrations tended to be worse in women with NIDDM than in men. When other factors significantly affecting lipid levels were adjusted by multivariate analysis, we found that in all race/sex groups, total cholesterol was higher in NIDDM than in nondiabetic subjects but differences were not significant (P = 54), triglyceride concentrations were significantly higher in NIDDM subjects (P < .0001), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were lower in NIDDM subjects (P = .003). An interaction of diabetes with race was found for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .0001), where concentrations were substantially lower in NIDDM than in nondiabetic subjects among African Americans (P < .01) but slightly higher in NIDDM subjects among whites (P = .33). For other lipids, no differential effect of NIDDM was found by race or sex. CONCLUSIONS: In African-American and white men and women in the United States, NIDDM is associated with a pattern of dyslipidemia that may potentiate the atherosclerotic process. Diabetic treatment should include aggressive treatment of dyslipidemia to reduce this increased risk.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of risk factors for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and the frequency of screening for NIDDM in U.S. adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A detailed questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of 19,680 adults > or = 18 years of age who reported no medical history of diabetes in the 1989 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Information was obtained on risk factors for diabetes, complications related to diabetes, and whether the subjects had been screened for diabetes in the past year. Women reporting pregnancy in the past year were excluded from analysis. The prevalence of undiagnosed NIDDM according to the frequency of risk factors for NIDDM was determined based on oral glucose tolerance data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) II and Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). RESULTS: Prevalence of undiagnosed NIDDM based on the NHANES II and HHANES increased with age, obesity, and family history of diabetes, reaching 11.7% in people with all three risk factors. Based on the NHIS, 77.5% of U.S. adults with no medical history of diabetes (131 million people) had at least one risk factor for NIDDM or complication related to NIDDM, and 22.9% (38 million people) had three or more risk factors or complications. Approximately 31% of adults reported being screened for diabetes in the past year. Screening rates increased with an increasing number of risk factors, but even among those with three risk factors, only 38.6% were screened for NIDDM. CONCLUSIONS: More than 7 million U.S. adults have undiagnosed NIDDM. Nevertheless, screening for diabetes in high-risk groups occurs substantially less frequently than necessary to detect undiagnosed NIDDM and institute appropriate hypoglycemic treatment.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of adult-onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in a nationally representative sample of adults 30-74 years of age. Although it is a widely held belief that onset of IDDM in adults is rare, there are few objective data to support this. Adult-onset IDDM may represent a disease that is biologically distinct from youth-onset IDDM, and it would be important to distinguish these two entities. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) contained a national probability sample of 12,102 subjects 30-74 years of age in the U.S. population. All subjects with diabetes diagnosed by a physician before the survey were identified. Cases of IDDM defined by age at diagnosis > or = 30 years, continuous or nearly continuous insulin treatment since diagnosis of diabetes, and relative body weight < or = 125 were classified as adult-onset IDDM. RESULTS: Subjects with adult-onset IDDM represented 0.30% of the U.S. population 30-74 years of age and 7.4% of all diabetic patients diagnosed at 30-74 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that onset of IDDM in adults is uncommon. Given the limitations of the survey instrument, subclinical or slowly progressive IDDM (as distinguished from non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with progressive loss of beta-cell function) would not have been detected, and these would constitute additional cases of adult-onset IDDM. However, the data suggest that a very large population base would be required to identify sufficient numbers of adult-onset IDDM cases for study of the etiology and pathogenesis of this disease.
OBJECTIVE--To demonstrate the inadequacy of fasting plasma glucose for screening for NIDDM, even among groups at high risk for diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--Representative samples of adults 40-69 years of age in the U.S. (n = 2,035) and Israel (n = 2,316) were selected. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was measured and a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was administered. Subjects with undiagnosed NIDDM were identified using internationally accepted diagnostic criteria (FPG > or = 7.8 mM or 2-h plasma glucose > or = 11.1 mM). RESULTS--Only 31-38% of subjects with undiagnosed NIDDM had fasting hyperglycemia (> or = 7.8 mM), and 36% in the U.S. and 19% in Israel had normoglycemia (< 6.1 mM). Postchallenge glucose, diagnostic of diabetes, was associated with all fasting values, including values < 5.0 mM. Based on sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value, no FPG level provided a satisfactory cutoff point to use in screening for undiagnosed NIDDM. Sensitivity at each FPG cutoff point varied little among groups classified by age, sex, race, blood pressure status, or body mass index (BMI) levels > 23, but sensitivity was lower among those with BMI levels < 23. CONCLUSIONS--In the clinical setting, FPG is commonly used in screening for NIDDM. However, fasting values < or = 7.8 mM are highly insensitive for detecting NIDDM. Lower FPG cutoff points tha achieve acceptable sensitivity are accompanied by inadequately low specificity, require a high percentage of patients to be retested, and result in a low yield of diabetes among those screened. Clinicians and researchers who seek detection of undiagnosed NIDDM should use the OGTT, because FPG lacks adequate sensitivity and specificity for this purpose.
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OBJECTIVE: To compare the extent and types of health insurance coverage for adults with diabetes to coverage for those without diabetes in the U.S. population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Nationally representative samples of 2,405 adults with diabetes and 20,131 adults who were not known to have diabetes in the U.S. completed a questionnaire on current health insurance, including coverage through Medicare, private insurance, the military, and Medicaid and other public programs. RESULTS: Among all adults with diabetes, 92.0% have some form of health insurance, including 86.5% of those 18-64 years of age and 98.8% of those > or = 65 years of age. Approximately 41% are covered by more than one health insurance mechanism, but almost 600,000 people with diabetes do not have any form of health-care coverage. Little difference was found by type of diabetes in the proportion who have health insurance. Only small differences exist between people with diabetes and those without diabetes in the percentages covered and the types of health-care coverage. Government-funded programs are responsible for health-care coverage of 57.4% of adults with diabetes, including 26.4% of those 18-64 years of age and 96.0% of those > or = 65 years of age. Private health insurance is held by 69.3% of diabetic people. Lack of private insurance appears to be attributable primarily to lower income. CONCLUSIONS: Almost all patients with diabetes who are > or = 65 years of age have health-care coverage, but 13.5% of those 18-64 years of age have no health insurance. Few differences exist in coverage between individuals with and without diabetes. However, the absence of insurance should have a substantially greater impact on the ability of patients with diabetes to obtain services necessary for care of their disease, compared with those without diabetes. Government-funded insurance mechanisms cover a large proportion of diabetic patients, which indicates a significant societal burden associated with diabetes. Any changes in government reimbursement and coverage policies could have a major impact on health care for patients with diabetes.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the longer survival of blacks with diabetic end-stage renal disease (ESRD) relative to whites is due to racial differences in type of diabetes, comorbidity at ESRD onset, and ESRD treatment modality and to examine whether survival differences between blacks and whites occur only in certain population subgroups. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Michigan Kidney Registry was used to ascertain all blacks and whites (n = 594) with diabetic ESRD in southeastern Michigan, with ESRD onset at age < 65 years during 1974-1983. Patients were followed through 1988. Medical records were abstracted for type of diabetes, comorbidity at ESRD onset, and other factors. RESULTS: Median survival among insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients was 27 months in blacks and 17 months in whites, and among non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients was 30 months in blacks and 16 months in whites. After adjustment for confounding factors by Cox proportional hazards analysis, the death rate was 45% lower in blacks than in whites on dialysis (relative death rate [RDR] = 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.44-0.69), but was similar in blacks and whites with a renal transplant (RDR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.64-1.52). Compared with dialysis, transplantation was associated with lower mortality in both races (white, RDR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.36-0.70; blacks, RDR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.60-1.34), although the effect was not statistically significant in blacks. Racial differences in survival did not vary by type of diabetes or any additional factor. CONCLUSIONS: Survival after ESRD onset is longer in blacks than in whites treated with dialysis, even after adjusting for comorbidity and other factors that affect survival. Survival does not differ by race among transplant patients.
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OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of adults with diabetes in the U.S. who have received diabetes patient education and to assess factors that determine whether patients receive this education. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A questionnaire on diabetes was administered to a representative sample of 2,405 diabetic individuals > or = 18 years of age in the U.S. population. The questionnaire inquired about whether these individuals had ever attended a diabetes education class or program. Sociodemographic and clinical factors that may influence participation in patient education were also determined. RESULTS: Of all people with diabetes, 35.1% had attended a class or program about diabetes at some time during the course of their disease, including 58.6% of individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, 48.9% of insulin-treated individuals with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), and 23.7% of NIDDM individuals not treated with insulin. Younger age, black race, residence in the midwest region of the U.S., higher level of education, and presence of diabetes complications were consistently associated with having had diabetes education for people with NIDDM. Although increasing income was associated with patient education for NIDDM individuals not treated with insulin, it was not an independent determinant for insulin-treated NIDDM individuals. NIDDM individuals not treated with insulin who lived alone were more likely to have had patient education than those who did not live alone. Not having a diabetes physician or not visiting one in the past year was associated with a higher likelihood of patient education for non-insulin-treated NIDDM individuals. CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of patients with diabetes has never received diabetes education. Patient education has been recognized for its contributions to reducing the morbidity and mortality of diabetes. Consequently, special attention should be directed to the subgroups of individuals, such as those not taking insulin, those with lower socioeconomic status, and those living outside urban areas, in which the frequency of diabetes patient education is particularly low.
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether adults with diagnosed diabetes in the United States are receiving recommended eye examinations for detection of diabetic retinopathy and what factors are associated with receiving them. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The design was a cross-sectional survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized US population 18 years of age or older, based on the 1989 National Health Interview Survey. A multistage probability sampling strategy was used to identify a representative sample of 84,572 persons. A questionnaire on diabetes was administered to all subjects with diagnosed diabetes (n = 2405). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: A dilated eye examination in the past year. MAIN RESULTS: Of all adults with diagnosed diabetes in the United States, only 49% had a dilated eye examination in the past year. This included 57% of people with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), 55% with insulin-treated non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), and 44% with NIDDM not treated with insulin. Even among diabetics at high risk of vision loss because of retinopathy or long duration of diabetes, the proportion with a dilated eye examination was only 61% and 57%, respectively. By logistic regression, the probability of a dilated eye examination among persons with NIDDM increased with older age, higher socioeconomic status, and having attended a diabetes education class. The probability of a dilated eye examination was not independently related to race, duration of diabetes, frequency of physician visits for diabetes, or health insurance. CONCLUSIONS: About half of adults with diabetes in the United States are not receiving timely and recommended eye care to detect and treat retinopathy. Widespread interventions, including patient and professional education, are needed to ensure that diabetic patients who are not receiving appropriate eye care have an annual dilated eye examination to detect retinopathy and prevent vision loss.