Accelerated decline of renal function in type 2 diabetes following severe hypoglycemia.

AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate whether the pronounced elevation in blood pressure during severe hypoglycemia is associated with subsequent renal insufficiency. METHODS: We conducted a 3-year cohort study to assess the clinical course of renal function in type 2 diabetes patients with or without blood pressure surge during severe hypoglycemia. RESULTS: Of 111 type 2 diabetes patients with severe hypoglycemia, 76 exhibited an extremely high systolic blood pressure before treatment, whereas 35 demonstrated no such increase (179.1 ± 27.7 mmHg vs. 131.1 ± 20.2 mmHg, P<0.001). At 12h after treatment, systolic blood pressure did not differ significantly (131.5 ± 30.7 mmHg vs. 123.5 ± 20.7 mmHg; P=0.39). The estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) before and at the time of severe hypoglycemia did not significantly differ between both groups. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that blood pressure surge during severe hypoglycemia was independently associated with a composite outcome of a more than 15 mL/min/1.73 m(2) decrease in the estimated GFR and initiation of chronic dialysis (hazard ratio, 2.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-6.38; P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Renal function after severe hypoglycemia was significantly worse in type 2 diabetes patients with blood pressure surge during severe hypoglycemia than those without blood pressure surge.

Effectiveness of Prior Use of Beta-Blockers for Preventing Adverse Influences of Severe Hypoglycemia in Patients With Diabetes: An Observational Study.

The study aimed to identify predictors of severe acute hypertension (≥ 180/110 mmHg) during severe hypoglycemia and to assess the efficacy of prior use of catecholamine-blocking agents for preventing adverse influences in diabetic patients with severe hypoglycemia. We performed a retrospective study between January 2006 and March 2012 to assess diabetic patients with severe hypoglycemia at a single center in Japan. Severe hypoglycemia was defined as the presence of any hypoglycemic symptoms that required the medical assistance of another person after visiting the emergency room by ambulance. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify possible predictors of severe hypertension due to severe hypoglycemia and to assess whether prior use of alpha- or beta-blockers is beneficial for the prevention of severe hypertension in diabetic patients with severe hypoglycemia. Multivariate adjustments were made for age, sex, preexisting hypertension, history of ischemic heart disease, blood glucose level upon arrival, estimated GFR, and prior use of alpha- or beta-blockers. A total of 59,602 patients who visited the emergency room were screened and 352 diabetic patients with severe hypoglycemia were enrolled. Incidences of severe hypertension before and at 3 and 6 hours after the initiation of antihypoglycemic treatment were 21.3%, 6.7%, and 0% in patients with type 1 diabetes (n = 61) and 38.8%, 18.2%, and 8.2% in patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 291), respectively. Aging was positively (odds ratio [OR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.03; P = 0.02) and female sex was negatively (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.29-0.86; P = 0.01) associated with occurrence of severe hypertension during severe hypoglycemia. In addition, prior use of beta-blockers was negatively associated with occurrence of severe hypertension during severe hypoglycemia using multivariate logistic regression analysis (OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.11-0.83; P = 0.02). None of the patients with prior use of beta-blockers had hypokalemia (<3.0 mEq/L). Prior use of beta-blockers may prevent adverse influences such as severe hypertension and hypokalemia during severe hypoglycemia in diabetic patients.

High risk of abnormal QT prolongation in the early morning in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with severe hypoglycemia.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have suggested that the occurrence of severe hypoglycemia during sleep may be more dangerous for cardiac arrhythmia than that in the day-time. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study between January 2006 and March 2012 to assess electrocardiograms during severe hypoglycemia in patients with or without diabetes. RESULTS: A total of 59,602 patients who visited the emergency room by ambulance were screened, and 287 patients with severe hypoglycemia were enrolled. The median blood glucose levels in patients with (DM, n = 192) and without diabetes (non-DM, n = 95) were 30 and 45 mg/dL, respectively. During severe hypoglycemia, the incidence of abnormal QT prolongation was significantly higher in the early morning (4-10 a.m.) than at other times (DM group, 74.3% versus 54.1%, P = 0.02; non-DM group, 78.3% versus 50.0%, P = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the occurrence of severe hypoglycemia in the early morning as a strong factor for abnormal QT prolongation (DM group, odds ratio [OR] 2.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-6.80, P = 0.02; non-DM group, OR 4.53, 95% CI 1.30-15.74, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of abnormal QT prolongation during severe hypoglycemia was significantly higher in the early morning than at all other times, independent of the cause of severe hypoglycemia.

Prediction of 90-day mortality in patients without diabetes by severe hypoglycemia: blood glucose level as a novel marker of severity of underlying disease.

AIM: The present study examined the clinical conditions and predictors of death in non-diabetic patients with pre-hospital severe hypoglycemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2006 to March 2012, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records to assess the patients with pre-hospital severe hypoglycemia at a national center in Japan. Severe hypoglycemia was defined as the presence of any hypoglycemic symptoms requiring the medical assistance of another person. The patients were followed up for 90 days after the severe hypoglycemia episode. RESULTS: A total of 59,602 consecutive cases that visited the emergency room were screened, and 530 patients with severe hypoglycemia were included in the subsequent analysis. The mean blood glucose levels in the non-diabetes (non-DM, n = 163) and diabetes (DM, n = 367) groups were 42.9 and 33.7 mg/dL, respectively. The incidence of extremely abnormal QT prolongation (corrected QT interval ≥0.50 s) was high in both groups [22.1 vs. 14.7 % (P = 0.11)]. Mortalities within 90 days after severe hypoglycemia were significantly higher in the non-DM group than in the DM group [20.3 vs. 1.6 % (P < 0.001)]. In addition to patient age, preexisting advanced liver disease and cancer, and the coexistence of sepsis, a blood glucose level of <40 mg/dL was identified as a strong predictor of death in the non-DM group using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models (hazard ratio 3.75; 95 % confidence interval 1.52-9.27; P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Death in non-diabetic patients with severe hypoglycemia was independently associated not only with age, advanced liver disease, cancer, and sepsis, but also with the blood glucose level upon arrival.

Seasonal variations of severe hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and non-diabetes mellitus: clinical analysis of 578 hypoglycemia cases.

Blood glucose control in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is reportedly influenced by the seasons, with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels decreasing in the summer or warm season and increasing in the winter or cold season. In addition, several studies have shown that sepsis is also associated with the seasons. Although both blood glucose control and sepsis can strongly affect the occurrence of severe hypoglycemia, few studies have examined the seasonal variation of severe hypoglycemia. The aim of the present study is to examine the association between severe hypoglycemia and the seasons in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and non-diabetes mellitus (non-DM). We retrospectively reviewed all the patients with severe hypoglycemia at a national center in Japan between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2012. A total of 57,132 consecutive cases that had visited the emergency room by ambulance were screened, and 578 eligible cases of severe hypoglycemia were enrolled in this study. The primary outcome was to assess the seasonality of severe hypoglycemia. In the T1DM group (n  =  88), severe hypoglycemia occurred significantly more often in the summer than in the winter (35.2% in summer vs 18.2% in winter, P  =  0.01), and the HbA1c levels were highest in the winter and lowest in the summer (9.1% [7.6%-10.1%] in winter vs 7.7% [7.1%-8.3%] in summer, P  =  0.13). In the non-DM group (n  =  173), severe hypoglycemia occurred significantly more often in the winter than in the summer (30.6% in winter vs 19.6% in summer, P  =  0.01), and sepsis as a complication occurred significantly more often in winter than in summer (24.5% in winter vs 5.9% in summer, P  =  0.02). In the T2DM group (n  =  317), the occurrence of severe hypoglycemia and the HbA1c levels did not differ significantly among the seasons. The occurrence of severe hypoglycemia might be seasonal and might fluctuate with temperature changes. Patients should be treated more carefully during the season in which severe hypoglycemia is more common.

Vital signs, QT prolongation, and newly diagnosed cardiovascular disease during severe hypoglycemia in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE To assess vital signs, QT intervals, and newly diagnosed cardiovascular disease during severe hypoglycemia in diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS From January 2006 to March 2012, we conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients with severe hypoglycemia at a national center in Japan. Severe hypoglycemia was defined as the presence of any hypoglycemic symptoms that could not be resolved by the patients themselves in prehospital settings. RESULTS A total of 59,602 cases that visited the emergency room by ambulance were screened, and 414 cases of severe hypoglycemia were analyzed. The median (interquartile range) blood glucose levels were not significantly different between the type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) (n = 88) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (n = 326) groups (32 [24-42] vs. 31 [24-39] mg/dL, P = 0.59). During severe hypoglycemia, the incidences of severe hypertension (≥180/120 mmHg), hypokalemia (<3.5 mEq/L), and QT prolongation were 19.8 and 38.8% (P = 0.001), 42.4 and 36.3% (P = 0.30), and 50.0 and 59.9% (P = 0.29) in the T1DM and T2DM groups, respectively. Newly diagnosed cardiovascular disease during severe hypoglycemia and death were only observed in the T2DM group (1.5 and 1.8%, respectively). Blood glucose levels between the deceased and surviving patients in the T2DM group were significantly different (18 [14-33] vs. 31 [24-39] mg/dL, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS T1DM and T2DM patients with severe hypoglycemia experienced many critical problems that could lead to cardiovascular disease, fatal arrhythmia, and death.

Successful treatment of chronic intractable itching using oral pregabalin in a patient with diabetes and systemic prurigo nodularis: a case report of an iliopsoas muscle abscess.

A 73-year-old Japanese man developed chronic intractable itching due to prurigo nodularis. High-dose glucocorticoid ointment failed, and the treatment resulted in poor glycemic control. Repeated scratching caused hematogenous bacterial dissemination via cutaneous injuries, resulting in the formation of iliopsoas and spinal epidural abscesses that required long-term antibiotic treatment. Pregabalin was administered to treat the pruritus, and a considerable improvement was observed. A reduction in the dose and intensity of the topical corticosteroids improved the patient's glycemic control, resulting in the complete resolution of the abscesses. Pregabalin significantly improved the patient's pruritus and decreased the risk of infection.