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Incidence and prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes, together with its long term complications is explosively rising. The trans-border project "INTERREG III" tries to explore the epidemiology in the 3 concerned countries and to tie a network between the health providers. Estimation of prevalence is around 3% of the adult population but rising for example in the Grand Duchy by 4.5% per year, meaning the number of affected patients will double in 16 years, mainly due to the increase in obesity. Chronic renal insufficiency will rise and the number of patients will double in 8 years. Cardiovascular diseases and peripheral necrosis explain the high rate of hospitalisations and the loss of Life-expectancy that seems to be reduced by 5 to 10 years. A cost analysis in this article reveals the necessity of primary and secondary prevention programs of "diabesity" in this region, together with better multidisciplinary approaches of treatment and follow-up. This article emphasizes the need of a collaboration of all actors in the field, medical and para-medical.

The thiazolidinediones (or glitazones) were recently added to the oral treatments for type 2 diabetes. Several recent studies, either in in vitro models or in animal models, lead to a better understanding of their mechanism of action. Recent, long term, controlled clinical studies, permit to define better their place and their condition of use (including adverse event prevention), as a monotherapy, or in association with metformin or a sulfonylurea when these drugs failed to achieve an optimal glycemic control. The beneficial metabolic effects of glitazones, generate great hopes for the prevention of the progressive beta-pancreatic cell function decline observed in type 2 diabetics, and possibly to prevent and/or to delay type 2 diabetes in high at-risk subjects. This review describe and discuss the most recent studies and their results.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gliclazide modified release (MR), alone or combined with other oral antidiabetic drug(s) over 2 years in type 2 diabetic patients., Methods: Two consecutive periods: (i) a 10-month, double-blind comparative study, where 800 type 2 diabetic patients were randomized either to gliclazide MR (30-120 mg) once daily or to gliclazide (80-320 mg) twice daily. All the patients were then treated with gliclazide MR for a 2-month switch period; (ii) 549 patients were subsequently enrolled in a 12-month, open-label period on gliclazide MR alone or in combination according to glycaemic control, 507 of whom completed the study., Results: Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) significantly decreased from baseline over 2 years by -0.46 +/- 1.08% in the whole cohort of 2-year completed patients, -0.95% in the subgroup of diet-failed patients and by -0.34% in the subgroup of patients pretreated with one oral antidiabetic drug. HbA1c was reduced by -0.43 +/- 1.02% and by -0.51 +/- 1.16%, when gliclazide MR was used in monotherapy and in combination therapy, respectively. The overall incidence of symptoms suggestive of hypoglycaemia was 4.8 episodes/100 patient-year, with no severe episode. This incidence was similarly low in elderly patients and patients with impaired renal function., Conclusion: Gliclazide MR alone or in combination with another oral antidiabetic drug significantly improved glycaemic control in type 2 diabetic patients over 2 years with a very good safety profile, notably in the elderly and in patients with impaired renal function.

Continuous glucose monitoring is a recent technique which appears to be highly useful in diabetic patients, particularly in children and adolescents. Its potential interest to study unstable diabetes, to detect asymptomatic and nocturnal hypoglycaemias, to adapt and/or to adjust insulin treatment, etc. has lead to several recent clinical studies, conducted in various conditions. The different techniques, the studies conducted in children and adult diabetic patients, as well as the main current indications for continuous glucose monitoring are described in this article.

Objective: Self monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in type 2 diabetes is a topic of current interest (imbalance between increased health-care costs and improvement in compliance with treatment and diet). An open label randomized prospective study was designed to compare changes in metabolic control over 6 months in patients managed with usual recommendations alone (conventional assessment group) or combined with SMBG., Research Design and Methods: Patients not treated with insulin or previously self monitored, 40 to 75 years of age, with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes > 1 year and standardized HbA(1c) level > =7.5 and< =11% were randomized to either a control group or SMBG group. They were followed up every 6 weeks over 24 weeks. Patients in the SMBG group were given the same device (Ascensia Esprit Discmeter, Bayer) and were required to perform at least 6 capillary assays a week (3 different days of the week, including weekend). Management of patients was standardized, including drugs, diet and physical activity. The primary efficacy criterion was change in HbA(1c) level in Intent To Treat (ITT) patients. Assays were performed at baseline, at 3 and 6 months using the calibrated DCA 2000(R) device (Bayer)., Results: Two hundred sixty five general practitioners randomized 988 patients (ITT Population), but 689 patients were evaluable for the primary criterion. At the endpoint, HbA(1c) was lower in the SMBG group (8.1 +/- 1.6%) than in the conventional treatment group (8.4 +/- 1.4%, P=0.012). The change in HbA(1c) levels between baseline and endpoint was classified into two classes: improvement if a change > 0.5% occurred, stability or worsening in case of a change< =0.5%; 57.1% of patients in the SMBG group vs 46.8% in the control group had an improvement in HbA(1c) level (P=0.007) after 3 months. A steady state was reached during the last 3 months. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed and identified factors predictive of improvement in HbA(1c) levels: HbA(1c) at baseline: odd ratio (OR)=1.749 (P<0.001), SMBG group (reference value: SMBG group): OR=0.665 (P=0.015), duration of diabetes: OR=0.953 (P=0.001) and BMI: OR=0.962 (P=0.039)., Conclusions: This study is the first multicenter, controlled, prospective trial conducted on a large number of patients demonstrating that SMBG was statistically associated with a better quality of metabolic control than usual traditional recommendations alone in type 2 diabetes.

An opinion poll was carried out during the ALFEDIAM Congress Bordeaux 2003. One hundred and thirty-seven participants (mean age 43.6 +/- 8.3 years/sex Ratio approximately 1) among whom 22.6% run private practices, 51.8% work in hospitals and 21.3% are both private and hospital practitioners, have been questioned about their conception of the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is an acknowledged entity for 61% of the people surveyed. Two thirds use as a diagnostical criterion, moderate fasting hyperglycemia and/or a impaired glucose tolerance. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is still commonly practised among 51.9% but that is done sparingly only to confirm the diagnosis of diabetes in presence either of several risk factors or of a moderate fasting hyperglycemia. According to 70% of the answers, the detection of diabetes must be repeated every year among at risk subjects aged over 45. The metabolic syndrome is defined according to diverse criteria. The right definition of ATP III is given only in 5% of the cases. As regards the treatment, the combined requirements of physical activity and dietary rules are approved by 97% of the answers. The majority of the persons questioned in the survey consider that a slight loss of weight (less than 5% of the initial weight) is sufficient in a high risk risk individual.On the other hand, opinions are divided as regards the use of drugs at the pre-diabetes stage. Metformin is the only one that is accepted by more than 50% with a rate of 58.4% of positive answers, acarbose and orlistat rating respectively 37.2% and 35%. However a great majority (83.6%) are in favour of the reimbursement of antidiabetic drugs in this indication, for high risk individuals, provided a study has clearly demonstrated the efficiency of the molecule concerned.

Coronary artery, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular disease, are the principal causes of morbidity and mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The accelerated macrovascular disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus is due partly to the increased incidence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia. Advanced glycation end products, glycoxidised and oxidized low-density lipoproteins and reactive oxygen species linked to hyperglycemia have all been identified in type 2 diabetes mellitus and could accelerate macroangiopathy. Hence, the resistance to insulin is an additional independent risk factor, in association with oxidant stress, dyslipidemias, and prothrombic/hypofibrinolytic states. The endothelium is a major organ involved by cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, inflammation, ageing, postmenopausal status, and smoking. Changes in endothelium function may lead to the coronary artery circulation being unable to cope with the increased metabolism of myocardial muscle independently of a reduced coronary artery diameter. The way endothelial function is altered in diabetic patients is not yet fully understood, but the loss of normal endothelial function could be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic angiopathy, as endothelial dysfunction is associated with diabetic microangiopathy and macroangiopathy. Finally, recent reports indicate that an improved metabolic control in diabetic patients, whatever the treatment used, is associated with near normalization or restoration of normal endothelial function.

Coronary artery, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular disease, are the principal causes of morbidity and mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The accelerated macrovascular disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus is due partly to the increased incidence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia. Advanced glycation end products, glycoxidised and oxidized low-density lipoproteins and reactive oxygen species linked to hyperglycemia have all been identified in type 2 diabetes mellitus and could accelerate macroangiopathy. Hence, the resistance to insulin is an additional independent risk factor, in association with oxidant stress, dyslipidemias, and prothrombic/hypofibrinolytic states. The endothelium is a major organ involved by cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, inflammation, ageing, postmenopausal status, and smoking. Changes in endothelium function may lead to the coronary artery circulation being unable to cope with the increased metabolism of myocardial muscle independently of a reduced coronary artery diameter. The way endothelial function is altered in diabetic patients is not yet fully understood, but the loss of normal endothelial function could be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic angiopathy, as endothelial dysfunction is associated with diabetic microangiopathy and macroangiopathy. Finally, recent reports indicate that an improved metabolic control in diabetic patients, whatever the treatment used, is associated with near normalization or restoration of normal endothelial function.

Objectives: The oral fat load tests used to study postprandial lipemia are complex and costly and time consuming. A simplified fat load test could be more convenient and more appropriate in routine clinical practice because of the number of lipid determinations required., Research Design and Methods: We evaluated the capacity of a postprandial test model that reduced the number of blood samples taken in thirty three normal weight controls and 17 normotriglyceridemic obese patients (study 1), 10 normolipidemic type 2 diabetic patients and 7 healthy controls (study 2), and 10 hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients studied before and after hypolipidemic therapy (study 3). Blood samples were taken before and up to 8 hours after giving the oral fat load containing retinol. Triglyceride (TG) and retinyl palmitate (RP) concentrations in the plasma, chylomicrons (CM) and non-chylomicron (nCM) fractions were measured. Postprandial lipid responses using conventional area under the curves (AUCc using 5 to 7 lipid determinations) were compared to a 3-point test that uses only three sample points to predict the area under the curve (AUCp: triglycerides at T0, triglycerides at average peak-time (T4), and triglycerides at T8)., Results: The AUCc and AUCp for triglycerides and retinyl palmitate were highly correlated in each of the groups and whatever the lipid subfraction (r=0.664 - 0.995, p<0.0001). When incremental AUC (iAUC) were used, the coefficients of correlation for triglycerides remained highly significant between iAUCc and iAUCp (r=0.718 - 0.979, p<0.01 - 0.0001). The same trend of differences was found between cases and controls when AUCp was used instead of AUCc. The means of differences between AUCc and AUCp for triglyceride values were small (0.34 - 0.74 mmol/L.h), and the confidence intervals were acceptable considering the range of the AUCs values (5.60 to 79.8 mmol/L.h for plasma triglycerides)., Conclusions: We found that data obtained with a simplified model of AUC using only 3 points to analyse postprandial lipemia are well correlated with those obtained by conventional AUC, and that the AUCp allows to the same conclusions as AUCc when healthy subjects were compared to patients with altered postprandial metabolism. Thus AUCp may be a good evaluation of the AUCc, and the simplified 3-point protocol may well be used and suitable for studies on large groups of subjects who are eligible for an oral fat load test.

In a double-blind, multicenter, multinational study, the long-term efficacy and safety of Diamicron(R)MR, a new gliclazide formulation taken once daily at lower dose (30-120 mg/day) was compared with Diamicron(R) (80-320 mg/day) taken twice daily in type 2 diabetic outpatients. After a 2-week run-in period, 800 patients with poor blood glucose control were randomized to Diamicron(R)MR (n=401) or Diamicron(R) (n=399). After a 4-month titration period, the efficacy and safety of Diamicron(R)MR was compared with Diamicron(R) over a 6-month fixed-dose treatment period. The ability to switch from Diamicron(R) to Diamicron(R)MR was then assessed during an additional 2-month follow-up period. Equivalence between treatment with Diamicron(R)MR and Diamicron(R) was compared by a non-inferiority test; the limit of equivalence was set at 0.5% for HbA(1c) and 1 mmol/l for fasting plasma glucose (FPG). The treatment groups were comparable at baseline. After 10 months of treatment, Diamicron(R)MR was as efficient as Diamicron(R) in controlling blood glucose, with a mean end point difference in HbA(1c) of -0.08 (0. 08)%, significantly lower than the equivalence limit (p<0.001). Similar results were obtained for FPG.The safety of Diamicron(R)MR and Diamicron(R) was equally high. The incidence of hypoglycemia was particularly low (0.2 hypoglycemia/100 patient months) in the elderly population, which represented almost 40% of the included patients. This study demonstrates that 30 to 120 mg of Diamicron(R)MR taken once daily is at least as efficient as 80 to 320 mg of Diamicron(R) taken in divided doses with respect to HbA(1c) and FPG levels, with a similar safety profile.

Background: We assessed the ability of LDL from 30 type 1 diabetic patients (18 men, 12 women), 65 type 2 diabetic patients (35 men, 30 women), and 35 controls (19 men, 16 women) to generate peroxides. The men and women in the diabetic groups were studied separately and matched for age, body mass index, duration of diabetes, glycohemoglobin, and conventional lipid characteristics according to the presence or absence of hyperlipidemia., Methods: The ability of LDL to form peroxides was assessed by measuring the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances corrected for LDL-cholesterol [ratio of malondialdehyde (MDA) to LDL-cholesterol]. LDL particle size was expressed as the ratio of LDL-cholesterol to apolipoprotein B (LDL-cholesterol/apoB)., Results: The MDA/LDL-cholesterol ratio was higher in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients with hyperlipidemia than in controls. The MDA/LDL-cholesterol ratio was also higher in type 2 normolipidemic women than in controls (P <0.01). The LDL-cholesterol/apoB ratio was lower in type 2 diabetic women than in type 2 diabetic men (P <0.05). The MDA/LDL-cholesterol ratio was negatively correlated with the LDL-cholesterol/apoB ratio (r = -0.78, P <0.001) in hyperlipidemic type 1 (not type 2) diabetic patients. In normolipidemic type 2 diabetic patients, the MDA/LDL-cholesterol ratio was also negatively correlated with the LDL-cholesterol/apoB ratio (r = -0.75, P <0.001) because of the highly significant negative correlation in type 2 diabetic women (r = -0.89, P <0.01)., Conclusions: LDL from well-controlled type 2 diabetic women is smaller and more prone to form peroxides. This could explain why diabetic women are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease.

The indications for continuous insulin therapy during non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDD) are numerous. In addition to patients with a contraindication to oral treatment, the greatest cause is "failures resulting from the use of hypoglycaemic agents". According to data in large series published to date, these secondary failures occur at an annual rate ranging from 2 to 10% and are more frequent in subjects whose weight is normal or moderately high. In current medical practice in France, the indications for insulin therapy are considered late, in the presence of severe hyperglycaemia indicative of beta-cell failure. From then on, the problem raised is that of the glycaemic goal to be reached, which has an influence on the therapeutic strategy to be adopted. In addition to the risk of microangiopathy, NIDD patients run a very high risk of macroangiopathy, particularly when insulin therapy is initiated late. In patients whose life expectancy is fairly long (7 to 10 years or more), a body of convergent clinical and epidemiological evidence favours strict glycaemic control, i.e. intensive insulin therapy. The results of the DCCT are apparently applicable to NIDD with respect to microangiopathy, and hyperglycaemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in NIDD patients. Strict glycaemic control is often associated with improvement in certain risk factors (lipids, hemorheology). Despite the fact that no large controlled prospective study similar to the DCCT is currently available for NIDD, efficient insulin therapy ensuring good glycaemic balance should be performed in these patients. However, the difficulties inherent to the implementation of intensive insulin therapy during NIDD should not be neglected: hypoglycaemic risk, weight gain, problems in elderly subjects, difficulties in instructing patients, and follow-up. Finally, the return to adequate glycaemic control should be coordinated with an overall care plan for risk factors relative to macroangiopathy.

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were assessed in 50 adult type I (insulin-dependent) and 19 type II (noninsulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus patients and in 54 controls. P100 wave latency was significantly longer in diabetic patients (P less than .001). Twenty-eight percent of diabetic patients had P100 wave latencies above the normal range. There was no correlation between P100 latency and type or duration of diabetes mellitus, quality of metabolic control, or presence of degenerative complications. The significance of VEP abnormalities in diabetes mellitus remains speculative.