Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease characterised by insulin deficiency and resultant hyperglycaemia. Knowledge of type 1 diabetes has rapidly increased over the past 25 years, resulting in a broad understanding about many aspects of the disease, including its genetics, epidemiology, immune and β-cell phenotypes, and disease burden. Interventions to preserve β cells have been tested, and several methods to improve clinical disease management have been assessed. However, wide gaps still exist in our understanding of type 1 diabetes and our ability to standardise clinical care and decrease disease-associated complications and burden. This Seminar gives an overview of the current understanding of the disease and potential future directions for research and care

Cause or effect? A review of clinical data demonstrating beta cell dysfunction prior to the clinical onset of type 1 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Limited successes of conventional approaches to type 1 diabetes (T1D) prevention and treatment have highlighted the need for improved understanding of risk factors contributing to or hastening progression to clinical diagnosis. SCOPE OF REVIEW: This review summarizes beta cell function metabolic phenotyping data from clinical studies conducted in at-risk individuals before T1D onset and healthy controls. Data are drawn from studies comparing at-risk individuals who progress to T1D to at-risk individuals who do not progress to T1D, as well as from studies comparing at-risk individuals to controls without a T1D family history. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: Rapid loss of beta cell insulin secretion occurs in the months immediately preceding clinical onset. However, evidence of beta cell dysfunction is present even years earlier. Comparisons to controls without a family history suggest that many individuals in families impacted by T1D have evidence of beta cell dysfunction, even individuals who are unlikely to develop clinical disease. These findings may mean that underlying metabolic beta cell dysfunction contributes to T1D development and may explain some of the heterogeneity observed in the disease

COVID-19 and Type 1 Diabetes: Addressing Concerns and Maintaining Control

The worldwide outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been an unprecedented pandemic. Early on, even as the signs and symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were first characterized, significant concerns were articulated regarding its potential impact on people with chronic disease, including type 1 diabetes. Information about the basic and clinical interrelationships between COVID-19 and diabetes has rapidly emerged. Initial rapid reports were useful to provide alerts and guide health care responses and initial policies. Some of these have proven subsequently to have durable findings, whereas others lacked scientific rigor/reproducibility. Many publications that report on COVID-19 and “diabetes” also have not distinguished between type 1 and type 2 (1). Available evidence now demonstrates that people with type 1 diabetes have been acutely affected by COVID-19 in multiple ways. This includes effects from limited access to health care, particularly during lockdown periods, and increased morbidity/mortality in infected adults with type 1 diabetes compared with peers without diabetes

Bone Density in Children with Single Ventricle Physiology

Background Children with chronic diseases are at risk for low bone mineral density (BMD). There are no studies of BMD in children with congenital heart disease and particularly SV. Children with this defect are often treated with warfarin, suspected to negatively impact BMD in adults. We assessed BMD in patients with single ventricle (SV) physiology and compared the BMD of subjects taking warfarin to those who were not. Methods Subjects 5-12 years with SV were included. BMD z-scores by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the spine and total body less head (TBLH) were obtained. Calcium intake, activity level, height, and Tanner stage were assessed. Linear regression models and t-tests were used to investigate differences between participants and normative data as well as between subjects' subgroups. Results Twenty six subjects were included; 16 took warfarin. Mean BMD z-score at the spine was significantly lower than expected at -1.0±0.2 (p<0.0001), as was the BMD z-score for TBLH at - 0.8±0.2 (p<0.0001). Those results remained significant after adjusting for height. Subjects who were on warfarin tended to have lower BMD at both the spine and TBLH than those who were not, with a z-score difference of 0.6±0.46 at the spine (p=0.106) and a difference of 0.4±0.34 at TBLH (p=0.132). Conclusions BMD is significantly reduced in children with SV. Warfarin appears to lower BMD but the effect is less conclusive. Continued evaluation is recommended for these patients at risk for reduced bone density. Evaluation of other cardiac patients on warfarin therapy should also be considered

Using a cell phone-based glucose monitoring system for adolescent diabetes management

INTRODUCTION: Mobile technology may be useful in addressing several issues in adolescent diabetes management. PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a cell phone glucose monitoring system for adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their parents. METHODS: The authors recruited patients with type 1 diabetes who had been diagnosed for at least 1 year. Each adolescent used the system for 6 months, filling out surveys every 3 months to measure their usability and satisfaction with the cell phone glucose monitoring system, as well as how use of the system might affect quality of family functioning and diabetes management. RESULTS: Adolescents reported positive feelings about the technology and the service, even though a concerning number of them had significant technical issues that affected continued use of the device. Nearly all thought that the clinic involvement in monitoring testing behavior was quite acceptable. The use of the Glucophone™ did not, however, significantly change the quality of life of the adolescents, their level of conflict with their parents, their reported self-management of diabetes, or their average glycemic control within the short time frame of the study. CONCLUSIONS: As a feasibility study of the technology, this work was successful in demonstrating that cell phone glucose monitoring technology can be used in an adolescent population to track and assist in self-monitoring behavior. The authors speculate that explicitly attempting to change behavior, perhaps with the use of behavioral contracts, would enhance the technology's ability to improve outcomes

Established and emerging biomarkers for the prediction of type 1 diabetes: a systematic review

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease with a prolonged and variable latent period that culminates in the destruction of pancreatic β-cells and the development of hyperglycemia. There is a need for diagnostic biomarkers to detect more accurately detect individuals with prediabetes to expedite targeting for prevention and intervention strategies. To assess the current ability to predict the insidious development of T1D, we conducted a comprehensive systematic review for established and prospective predictive markers of T1D using the Medline, OVID, and EMBASE databases. Resulting citations were screened for relevance to subject. Our research generated five major categories of markers that are either currently used or forthcoming: genetic, autoantibodies, risk score quantification, cellular immunity, and β-cell function. The current standard used to assess T1D onset or predisposition focuses on autoimmune pathology and disease-associated autoantibodies. Research studies in general go beyond autoantibody screening and assess genetic predisposition, and quantitate risk of developing disease based on additional factors. However, there are few currently used techniques that assess the root of T1D: β-cell destruction. Thus, novel techniques are discussed with the potential to gauge degrees of β-cell stress and failure via protein, RNA, and DNA analyses

Diabetes-related quality of life and the demands and burdens of diabetes care among emerging adults with type 1 diabetes in the year after high school graduation

The roles of glycemic control, diabetes management, diabetes care responsibility, living independently of parents, and time since high school graduation in predicting diabetes-related quality of life (DQOL) were examined in 184 emerging adults with type 1 diabetes. Data were collected at graduation and 1 year later. Analyses controlling for selected covariates were completed using generalized linear mixed models. Better diabetes management was associated with more positive responses on all four dimensions of DQOL. Impact and worry of DQOL were greater in the presence of depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction was lower. DQOL life satisfaction was lower in those living independently of parents. Young women reported poorer diabetes-related health status than did young men. Time since graduation was not linked to DQOL. Further research is needed on ways to improve DQOL in conjunction with diabetes management and on ways that families can support DQOL when youth live independently

The Relationship of Worry About Hypoglycemia With Diabetes-specific and Typical Youth Behavior Among Emerging Adults With Type 1 Diabetes

PURPOSE: Little is known about the relationship of worry about hypoglycemia with diabetes-specific and typical youth behaviors among emerging adults with type 1 diabetes. This study's purpose was to examine the relationship among worry about hypoglycemia, diabetes management, and glycemic control within the context of alcohol use, hypoglycemia-related weight control behaviors, depressive symptoms, and impulse control among emerging adults with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The sample was 181 emerging adults with type 1 diabetes who were part of a larger study. Path analysis was used to test associations among worry about hypoglycemia, diabetes management, hypoglycemia-related weight control behaviors (WCB), alcohol use, impulse control, depressive symptoms, and glycemic control. RESULTS: Path model fit and modification indices suggested that a feedback loop between worry about hypoglycemia and diabetes management should be incorporated into the original model. Youth with fewer depressive symptoms reported fewer hypoglycemia-related WCB and less worry about hypoglycemia; those with higher impulse control had less alcohol use and better diabetes management; those with lower alcohol use had more worry about hypoglycemia; and better glycemic control was associated with better diabetes management. CONCLUSIONS: Health care professionals need to understand how multiple factors related to worry about hypoglycemia and diabetes management interact in emerging adults. In the context of depressive symptoms, impulse control, alcohol use, and hypoglycemia-related WCB, the path model results suggest several potential avenues for intervening to improve glycemic control in emerging adults