Low physical activity in patients with type 2 diabetes: the role of obesity.

AIMS: Few studies have described ambulatory activity in free-living individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using motion sensors, and none included a control group. For this reason, our study compared the physical-activity levels of outpatients with T2DM with subjects without diabetes, and examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and physical-activity parameters. METHODS: Physical-activity levels in 70 outpatients with T2DM and 30 age-, gender- and employment-matched individuals without diabetes were measured using the SenseWear Armband™, a monitoring device validated against doubly labelled water, to assess total energy expenditure. Patients wore the SenseWear Armband™ on their right arm continuously every day for 1 week. RESULTS: Total energy expenditure (<300 kcal/day), number of steps (<1500/day), physical-activity duration (<130 min/day) and active energy expenditure/day (<300 kcal) were all significantly lower (P<0.05) in patients with T2DM. These measures were inversely correlated with BMI, and remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, employment status and the presence of diabetes. CONCLUSION: Outpatients with T2DM have lower physical-activity levels than their matched controls, a characteristic that is related to their higher BMI.

Prevalence of open angle glaucoma in a diabetic population in Martinique

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of open angle glaucoma in a hospital-based sample of diabetic people living in Martinique. DESIGN: Retrospective study during 23 months. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 917 patients were examined and received a complete eye examination for diabetes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A form was established with all examination data, patient ID, non ophthalmological data (blood pressure, body mass index, type of diabetes...) and ophthalmological data with intra-ocular pressure and optic disc cup. RESULTS: Glaucoma was present in about 9.8 percent of patients and there were 3.28 times more females than male. With regard to the type of diabetes, 1.11 percent were type 1, 18.89 percent were type 2, and 80 percent were insulin treated but not all insulin dependent. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is similar in the glaucomatous group and in the non-glaucomatous group. High blood pressure was present in 80 percent of glaucoma patients versus 58.8 percent in the non-glaucoma group. CONCLUSION: This 9.8 percent prevalence of glaucoma is the only data on open angle glaucoma so far available in Martinique. High blood pressure is a main risk factor for glaucoma in Martinique. Diabetes represents also a risk factor for glaucoma in Martinique. The sex ratio showed 3 times more females than males in the diabetic population. (AU)