Screening for Hypertension in Asymptomatic Individuals in India: An Expert Consensus Statement.

INTRODUCTION: Hypertension (HTN) is a rapidly growing epidemic in India. It is no larger restricted to older adults as more young Indians are being diagnosed with HTN. Despite its significant prevalence, the awareness, treatment, and control of HTN remain low in India. Thus, early diagnosis is essential to control HTN and prevent future complications. Screening for HTN can help identify undiagnosed and asymptomatic HTN, and thereby the early use of interventions to control the blood pressure (BP). However, no comprehensive guidelines have been established for effective HTN screening in asymptomatic individuals in an Indian setting. OBJECTIVE: To provide consensus recommendations for hypertension screening in India. CONSENSUS RECOMMENDATIONS: Screening for HTN can provide more effective control of HTN and reduce the complications. Experts recommended that the initial age at screening should be 18 years. In individuals at a high risk of HTN, targeted screening can be undertaken. BP measurement using an electronic BP recorder (with at least two readings) are required for identifying HTN during screening. In asymptomatic adults with BP <130/85 mmHg and BP of 130-139/85- 89 mmHg, rescreening should be conducted every 3-5 years and at least every year, respectively. Screening for HTN can be cost effective even when universal screening of the entire population is undertaken. CONCLUSION: The consensus recommendations would increase the awareness of HTN screening. Screening for HTN can provide more effective control of HTN and reduce the complications.

Improved glycaemic control with no weight gain: a 26-week, open label, non-randomised, non-interventional observational study on type 2 diabetes subjects using insulin detemir.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the weight change from baseline while using insulin detemir in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus under normal clinical practice conditions. It was a multicentre, open label, non-randomised, non-interventional, observational, safety and efficacy study in subjects using insulin detemir for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this study, the mean body weight decreased marginally by -0.8 kg at the end of week 26 from baseline. Change in mean body weight during the study was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). There was a statistically significant (p < -0.05) change in waist circumference (-0.7 cm) from baseline at week 26. Mean fasting plasma glucose reduced significantly (p < 0.0001) from 199.1 mg/dl at initiation of insulin detemir to 141.3 mg/dl at week 13 and 115.8 mg/dl at week 26. Mean HbA1c reduced significantly (p < 0.0001) from 9.2% at initiation of insulin detemir to 7.8% at week 13 and 7.2% at week 26. Insulin dose changed marginally from the baseline (15.1 units) to week 26 (15.3 units). Majority of the subjects (89%) were on once daily insulin detemir. Before initiating insulin detemir proportion of subjects experiencing at least one episode of hypoglycaemia during the past four weeks was 8.8% (n = 884). It was reduced 2.4% (n = 241) at week 13 and 1.6% (n = 164) at week 26 following initiation of insulin detemir. There were no major nocturnal hypoglycaemic episodes during 26 weeks of insulin detemir therapy. In conclusion, this study indicates that insulin detemir is safe, effective and weight neutral.

Footwear and foot care knowledge as risk factors for foot problems in Indian diabetics.

We assessed 300 diabetic and 100 age- and sex-matched controls for correlating foot wear practices and foot care knowledge and the presence of foot complications. A structured questionnaire evaluated the knowledge about foot care, type of footwear used, education level, association of tobacco abuse, and any associated symptoms of foot disease. Clinical evaluation was done by inspection of feet for presence of any external deformities, assessment of sensory function (vibration perception threshold, VPT), vascular status (foot pulses and ankle brachial ratio) and presence of any infection.In the diabetes category, 44.7% patients had not received previous foot care education. 0.6% walked barefoot outdoors and 45% walked barefoot indoors. Fourteen (4.7%) patients gave history of foot ulceration in the past and comprised the high risk group; only 2 out of 14 had received foot care education, 6 gave history of tobacco abuse, 8 had symptoms of claudication, 9 had paresthesias, 2 walked barefoot indoors. Average duration of diabetes in the high-risk and low-risk diabetes group was 10.85 +/- 6.53 and 9.83 +/- 7.99 years, respectively. In the high- and low-risk diabetic groups, VPT was 19.57 +/- 11.26 and 15.20 +/- 10.21V (P < 0.02), ankle brachial ratio was 1.05 +/- 0.19 and 1.14 +/- 0.18 (P < 0.05), and the questionnaire scores was 40.8% and 57%, respectively.In the diabetic and the control group, VPT was 15.62 +/- 10.39 and 8.36 +/- 3.61 V (P < 0.01), ankle brachial ratio was 1.14 +/- 0.18 and 1.15 +/- 0.12, and the questionnaire scores were 57% and 40.3%, respectively.In conclusion, poor knowledge of foot care and poor footwear practices were important risk factors for foot problems in diabetes.

Beneficial effects of triple drug combination of pioglitazone with glibenclamide and metformin in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients on insulin therapy.

BACKGROUND: The thiazolidinediones are a class of antidiabetes medication that enhance the actions of insulin in muscle, liver, and adipose tissue. Data have been lacking on their use in combination with both sulfonylurea and metformin among patients of type 2 diabetes who are on insulin therapy secondary to failure of routine oral hypoglycemic drugs in controlling their diabetes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of pioglitazone in combination with sulphonylurea and metformin on diabetes control in patients being treated with insulin due to secondary failure of oral hypoglycemic agents. PATIENTS: One hundred and twenty-four consecutive type 2 diabetes patients (mean age, 57.13 years) attending four centres in Mumbai, who were being treated with insulin were selected. They were switched on to triple drug combination of glibenclamide 5 mg, metformin 500 mg and pioglitazone 15 mg along with insulin. Study participants were required to have type 2 diabetes mellitus for atleast 5 years. Patients were excluded if they had any of the following: serum creatinine concentration greater than 1.5 mg/dl, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level more than two times the upper limit of normal, symptomatic angina, cardiac insufficiency or history of myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Pioglitazone 15 mg with glibenclamide 5 mg and metformin 500 mg, significantly decreased hemoglobin HbA1c level from 11.5% to 7.32% (P < 0.001), average fasting blood glucose from 194.8 mg/ dl to 124.06 mg/dl (p < 0.01), average post-prandial blood glucose from 256.24 to 162.32 mg/dl (p < 0.01). At 6 months, 43.35% of patients did not need to be continued on insulin. The total insulin requirement in 124 patients reduced by 71.81%. There were no significant side effects, liver enzymes were within acceptable levels, average weight gain was 2.23 kg, significant hypoglycemia was observed in 28 patients with two requiring hospitalisation, these patients were those who did not stick to follow-up schedules. CONCLUSIONS: With proper patient selection, pioglitazone with glibenclamide and metformin can be safely used in patients receiving insulin with good results.

Thyrotoxicosis--surgical management in the era of evidence-based medicine: experience in western India with 752 cases.

The three modalities of treatment of thyrotoxicosis, antithyroid therapy (ATT), radio-iodine (I131) therapy and surgery are not cause-specific. In this paper, we describe our evolving experience with 752 thyrotoxic patients who underwent surgery during the last 40 years and discuss the current scenario with evidence-based data and observations wherever possible. Thyroidectomy was performed in 428 patients with Grave's disease (GD), 299 patients with toxic multinodular goitre, and 25 with toxic solitary nodules (TSN). Whereas 289 patients with GD had surgery for failed ATT, the other 139 had primary surgery for controversial or debatable indications such as poor socio-economic status, desire for early pregnancy, poor drug compliance and severe ophthalmopathy. Preoperatively, all patients were administered carbimazole or propylthiouracil. Non-selective b-blocker propranolol and Lugol's iodine were routinely given. In the 25 patients with TSN, hemithyroidectomy was performed. In all others, subtotal thyroidectomy (STT), was performed leaving behind 4 to 8 g of thyroid tissue: a larger amount was left behind in those with higher antithyroid antibody titres. During the last decade, 80 patients received near total thyroidectomy (NTT), mainly to minimize recurrence of thyrotoxicosis and to ameliorate severe eye signs. Because of our increasing experience, no significant increase in postoperative morbidity was encountered with NTT compared to STT. Transient hoarseness was observed in 53 patients with STT and only in two patients with NTT. Three patients with STT and one with NTT developed permanent hoarseness due to recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy; voice in these four was normalized by intraglottic injection of Teflon paste 6 months after the operation. In patients undergoing STT, transient hypoparathyroidism was encountered in 63, and permanent hypoparathyroidism in five. The corresponding figures for NTT were 12 and one, respectively. Of the 500 patients monitored for 1 year or more, hypothyroidism was observed in 135 and recurrent thyrotoxicosis in nine. In the same group of 500, exophthalmos was ameliorated in 130 of the 265 with positive eye signs. Nineteen glands exhibited features of severe Hashitoxicosis with marked destruction of acini and considerable lymphoid aggregates and follicles. Carcinoma was observed in three other thyroid glands.

Evaluation of a short course on diabetology for practising doctors.

A short course on Diabetology, attended by 83 doctors was evaluated. The doctors were divided into three groups. (Group I--basic qualification MBBS, Group II--MD in medicine or allied subject, Group III--Diploma in Diabetes Mellitus). The mean age group of all three groups were comparable. Pre-course evaluation of their knowledge of diabetes showed the best performance in Group III and poorest in Group I. Post-course evaluation showed significant improvement only in Group I and II. Maximal improvement in performance was seen in Group II. Mean time since passing the last professional examination was 14.8, 12.6 and 1.0 year respectively. The performance was not linked to time since passing the last examination. 14.5% of doctors were from a rural or semiurban setting. The precourse performance of rural doctors in the MD group was significantly poorer, but their post course performance was as good as the others. All doctors from rural or semiurban areas improved their performance postcourse, compared to 84% in the urban group. 74% of doctors had not attended any post graduate course after their basic degree. Their performance did not differ significantly from those who had attended such courses. 44.6% were Consultants, 26.6% were general practitioners, 12.0% were attached to institutions, 10.8% were in government service or armed forces and 6% were attached to teaching hospitals. The performance of the doctors was not linked to the type of practice. The doctors attending the course felt that the audiovisual presentation needed improvement.

Bilateral optic nerve infarction following acute systemic hypotension and anemia--a case report.

Presented here are case reports of two patients who became completely blind in both eyes following acute systemic hypotension - in one following bouts of vomiting and in the other after repeated gastrointestinal bleeding. Both patients had severe degree of anemia. There were no other risk factors for vascular disease such as arteriosclerosis or vasculitis.

Carotid sinus syndrome associated with carcinoma of the pyriform fossa.

A patient who developed syncope due to carotid sinus syndrome is described. The patient was suffering from carcinoma of the pyriform fossa for the past one year and received radiotherapy in the region of the neck for the same. Demand pacing was ineffective in alleviating syncopal episodes. The patient responded to oral administration of an anticholinergic (belladonna) and a sympathomimectic agent (orciprenaline).

Biguanide-induced lactic acidosis.

Phenformin-induced lactic acidosis has been thought to be rare in India due to a high carbohydrate intake, use of suboptimal doses of phenformin and a lesser prevalence of alcoholism, as compared to Western countries. We studied the blood lactate levels of 31 non-insulin dependent diabetics (Group A) before and after treatment with phenformin, 75 mg/day for 4 weeks. Blood lactate rose significantly after treatment (mean +/- SEM 16.6 +/- 1.2 mg/dl to 30.7 +/- 2.2; p less than 0.01). Seven patients from this group had blood lactic acid level greater than 72 mg/dl. Six of these patients were restudied off treatment and after 4 weeks of phenformin therapy. The arterial blood pH, pCO2, pO2 and bicarbonate remained unchanged on treatment although a significant rise in blood lactic acid was reconfirmed in these 6 patients. Another group of 12 patients on phenformin for more than six months had significantly lower blood lactate levels as compared to group A (mean +/- SEM 20.2 +/- 1.8 mg/dl vs 30.7 +/- 2.2 mg/dl; p less than 0.01) indicating the possibility of a process of adaptation on prolonged treatment. This possibility was confirmed by a serial follow-up study of 11 patients for a 6 month period on phenformin therapy. A case of biguanide-induced lactic acidosis diagnosed and treated by us is described.

Effect of nutritional counseling on the blood glucose and nutritional knowledge of diabetic subjects.

The nutritional knowledge and control of diabetes was assessed in 43 nonketosis-prone diabetic subjects. Patients were semiliterate or illiterate. They were exposed to a 1-h nutritional counseling program in groups of three to five. The nutritional counseling program was highly simplified and emphasized only a few important aspects of diabetic diet. Patients' nutritional knowledge improved significantly after nutritional counseling. The control of diabetes also improved significantly in those patients in whom control had been inadequate.