Microvascular complications in the type 2 diabetes: impact of the insulin therapy

When oral antidiabetics at optimal dosage have failed to maintain good diabetic control, insulin treatment has to be considered. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate over a 5 years period the incidence of progression in microvascular complications in 35 type 2 diabetes patients treated with insulin and compared to 35 controls treated with oral hypoglycemic agents. By 3-5 years, the "insulin" group had lower risks of progression in both complications: retinopathy [p=0,005] and neuropathy [p<0,05]. However, the incidence of progression in nephropathy was quite similar between the two groups. Our study confirms the long term results found in the literature about effects of insulin therapy on microvascular complications in diabetic patients

[The diabetic diet of Tunisia: lived and recommendations]

Diet is essential for diabetes treatment. It must provide a balanced nutritional intake with adaptation to each patient. The aim of this study is to evaluate the spontaneous food consumption in a group of 150 type 2 diabetic Tunisian patients. Main food consumption abnormalities are an excessive caloric intake, an excess in glucid consumption, a saturated, fatty acids intake accounting for 26 +/- 6% of the lipid ration which is positively correlated with high LDL cholesterol levels [p=0,04], a ratio animal/vegetable proteins greater than I and an insufficiency in anti-oxidant vitamins. Thus, the qualitative analysis of the, food intake shows several anomalies which exposes our diabetic patients to a high cardiovascular risk; adapted recommendations appear to be necessary