Genetic variants associated with poor responsiveness to sulfonylureas in Filipinos with type 2 diabetes mellitus / Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies

Introduction@# Sulfonylureas (SUs) are commonly used drugs for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Philippines. This study aimed to associate genetic variants with poor response to gliclazide and glimepiride among Filipinos.@*Methodology@#Two independent, dichotomous longitudinal substudies enrolled 139 and 113 participants in the gliclazide and glimepiride substudies, respectively. DNA from blood samples underwent customized genotyping for candidate genes using microarray. Allelic and genotypic features and clinical associations were determined using exact statistical methods.@*Results@#Three months after sulfonylurea monotherapy, 18 (13%) were found to be poorly responsive to gliclazide, while 7 (6%) had poor response to glimepiride. Seven genetic variants were nominally associated (p<0.05) with poor gliclazide response, while three variants were nominally associated with poor glimepiride response. For gliclazide response, carboxypeptidase-associated variants (rs319952 and rs393994 of AGBL4 and rs2229437 of PRCP) had the highest genotypic association; other variants include rs9806699, rs7119, rs6465084 and rs1234315. For glimepiride response, 2 variants were nominally associated: CLCN6-NPPA-MTHFR gene cluster – rs5063 and rs17367504 – and rs2299267 from the PON2 loci.@*Conclusion@#Genetic variants were found to have a nominal association with sulfonylurea response among Filipinos. These findings can guide for future study directions on pharmacotherapeutic applications for sulfonylurea treatment in this population.

UP Philippine General Hospital Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Consensus recommendations for in-Patient managementof Diabetes Mellitus among persons with COVID-19 / Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies

@#Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a known risk factor for morbidity and mortality among patients with COVID-19 based on recent studies. While there are many local and international guidelines on inpatient management of diabetes, the complicated pathology of the virus, the use of glucose-elevating drugs such as glucocorticoids, antivirals and even inotropes, and various other unique problems has made the management of in-hospital hyperglycemia among patients with COVID-19 much more difficult than in other infections. The objective of this guidance is to collate and integrate the best available evidence that has been published regarding in-patient management of diabetes among patients with COVID-19. A comprehensive review of literature was done and recommendations have been made through a consensus of expert endocrinologists from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. These recommendations are evolving as we continue to understand the pathology of the disease and how persons with diabetes are affected by this virus.