Research
Research ROUNDUP We bring you some of the latest local and international research news impacting on diabetes care. Pre-diabetes prevalence and associated factors in New Zealand school children Pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes are increasing in children, and early identification of pre-diabetes is vital to stopping it progressing to type 2. This New Zealand study collected data from a subset of the 685 children who took part in the Children's Bone Study (a cross-sectional study of children aged 8 to 11 years in Auckland). HbAlc was measured, as was weight, height, waist circumference, and body-fat percentage. Information on ethnicity and physical activity was collected through questionnaires. The study found that pre-diabetes was present in 71 children – 16% of the total group. It was most prevalent in South Asian children, followed by Pacific children and then Māori children. It was also associated with high body-fat percentages and low physical activity. The researchers say, ‘The prevalence of prediabetes in children of South Asian and Pacific Island ethnicities suggests the need for appropriate and timely identification and intervention to halt the progression to T2DM.’ Endocrinologist Professor Jeremy Krebs comments that the figures shown in this study ‘mirror the difference between ethnicities seen in adults and, once again, illustrate the inequities in health in New Zealand.’*
* Diabetes & Obesity Research Review, Issue 144, 2021.
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DIABETES WELLNESS | Spring 2021
Cardiovascular and Renal Disease Burden in Type 1 Compared With Type 2 Diabetes: A Two-Country Nationwide Observational Study Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes both increase the risks of cardiovascular and renal (kidney) disease. A Scandinavian study, based in Norway and Sweden, set out to compare the difference between those with type 1 and type 2. They followed 59,331 patients with type 1 and 484,241 patients with type 2 – aged 18 to 84 years old – over a mean period of 2.6 years. The study found that adult patients with type 1 had an overall greater risk of cardiorenal disease than those with type 2. They also found a greater risk of all-cause death among those with type 1 at middle to older ages and a greater risk of stroke at younger ages. The study found that the total burden and risks were greater among patients with type 1 diabetes compared with those with type 2. Professor Jeremy Krebs comments, ‘It is a poignant reminder that we still need to aggressively manage cardiac risk factors in people with type 1 diabetes.’* doi.org/10.2337/dc20-2839
