Clinical Diabetes and Metabolism—Selected Posters from Endo 2004

Wednesday June 16, 2004

Reviewed by Joelle Escoffery, PhD

A number of posters related to clinical diabetes were presented at the Endocrine Society’s 86^th Annual Meeting.   In terms of screening for diabetes, it was shown that fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were not equivalent in a high risk Hispanic population, suggesting the possibility of two distinct pathophysiological processes in prediabetes.  Further, the OGTT test demonstrated a higher sensitivity, suggesting that it is a more appropriate screening test than FPG among high risk individuals.¹ Research related to pediatric type 1 diabetes showed that insulin glargine (used in combination with rapid-acting insulin) was a safe and effective treatment for children with mild to moderate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).² In terms of treatment for type 2 diabetes, use of rosiglitazone was shown to be related to improved insulin sensitivity, and the increase in insulin sensitivity was in turn correlated with a decrease in plasma free fatty acids.³ Rosiglitazone and metformin were shown to have comparable effects on carotid arterial wall thickness, in spite of the fact that rosiglitazone was associated with improved homocystiene, C-reactive protein, and A1C, whereas metformin was associated with changes in A1C only.⁵

References

¹ Hernandez-Cassis CS, Vogel CK, Solano MP. Fasting vs. 2-hour plasma glucose to detect abnormal glucose tolerance and diabetes in a high risk white Hispanic population.  Poster presented at the Endocrine Society’s 86^th Annual Meeting, PI-334.

² Gupta A, Matthews N, Fong J, Anhalt H, Ten S. Efficacy of insulin glargine on the outcome of mild to moderate diabetic ketosis in children with new onset diabetes mellitus. Poster presented at the Endocrine Society’s 86^th Annual Meeting, PI-322.

³ Banerji MA, Tiewala M, Catanzaro J, Lebovitz HE. Decreased plasma free fatty acids correlate with improved insulin sensitivity in African-American patients with type 2 diabetes treated with rosiglitazone. Poster presented at the Endocrine Society’s 86^th Annual Meeting, PI-330.

⁴ Stocker DJ, Taylor, AJ, Langley RW, Vigersky RA. Rosiglitazone and metformin demonstrate comparable stabilization of carotid arterial wall thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes. Poster presented at the Endocrine Society’s 86^th Annual Meeting, PI-344.