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Biomedical subjects

J I Mann

Publications and source records attributed to J I Mann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Diabetes--inpatient utilisation, costs and data validity. Dunedin 1985-9.

AIM: to describe the impact of diabetes on the public hospital inpatient services in one New Zealand region over the period 1985-9, from one 450 bedded university teaching hospital in a major urban centre in New Zealand serving a population of approximately 125,000 people. METHODS: by the analysis of routinely collected hospital discharge data and the application thereto of the resource utilisation system (RUS). Data validation was performed by means of a survey of clinical notes. RESULTS: admission, bed utilisation rates and associated costs for diabetes rose over the period by factors of 3.2, 3.8 and 2.8 respectively; due primarily to the management of macrovascular disease in the elderly. The rise was most marked in those 75 years and over; admission rates, bed utilisation rates and costs in this age group being respectively 1.9, 4.3 and 2.9 times greater than the 60 to 74 year age group. For admissions with diabetes as principal diagnosis, admissions for glycaemic control showed a significant decrease in lengths of stay over the period. Admissions with diabetic peripheral vascular disease were cumulatively, and per case, the most costly, the mean cost, at $16,000 per case, being 5.1 times greater than the mean cost of all admissions with diabetes as principal diagnosis. In 1989 diabetes accounted for 5% of the cost of all inpatient care provided by the hospital. These results are an underestimate, as 45% of admissions of people where diabetes should have been cited as a subsidiary diagnosis were omitted from the discharge data. CONCLUSION: diabetes is a major consumer of hospital resources in this region. As the majority of diabetes associated resource use is in the elderly, a population projected to increase significantly, consideration needs to be given to the options for the provision of care. More work also needs to be done on the reasons underlying these changes. If routinely collected data is to be used for these purposes then audit of the data must be performed or use should be restricted to certain defined groups, eg, diabetes as principal diagnosis only.

Adult

Effects on coronary artery disease of lipid-lowering diet, or diet plus cholestyramine, in the St Thomas' Atherosclerosis Regression Study (STARS)

To assess the effect of dietary reduction of plasma cholesterol concentrations on coronary atherosclerosis, we set up a randomised, controlled, end-point-blinded trial based on quantitative image analysis of coronary angiograms in patients with angina or past myocardial infarction. Another intervention group received diet and cholestyramine, to determine the effect of a greater reduction in circulating cholesterol concentrations. 90 men with coronary heart disease (CHD), who had a mean (SD) plasma cholesterol of 7.23 (0.77) mmol/l were randomised to receive usual care (U, controls), dietary intervention (D), or diet plus cholestyramine (DC), with angiography at baseline and at 39 (SD 3.5) months. Mean plasma cholesterol during the trial period was 6.93 (U), 6.17 (D), and 5.56 (DC) mmol/l. The proportion of patients who showed overall progression of coronary narrowing was significantly reduced by both interventions (U 46%, D 15%, DC 12%), whereas the proportion who showed an increase in luminal diameter rose significantly (U 4%, D 38%, DC 33%). The mean absolute width of the coronary segments (MAWS) studied decreased by 0.201 mm in controls, increased by 0.003 mm in group D, and increased by 0.103 mm in group DC (p less than 0.05), with improvement also seen in the minimum width of segments, percentage diameter stenosis, and edge-irregularity index in intervention groups. The change in MAWS was independently and significantly correlated with LDL cholesterol concentration and LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio during the trial period. Both interventions significantly reduced the frequency of total cardiovascular events. Dietary change alone retarded overall progression and increased overall regression of coronary artery disease, and diet plus cholestyramine was additionally associated with a net increase in coronary lumen diameter. These findings support the use of a lipid-lowering diet, and if necessary of appropriate drug treatment, in men with CHD who have even mildly raised serum cholesterol concentrations.

Angina Pectoris

Distinguishing between persistent and transient impaired glucose tolerance using a prediction model.

Screening for impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes was carried out in 777 people and those with high blood glucose levels completed three 2-h oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT). Blood lipid levels, fasting and 2-h insulin levels, body mass index, and blood pressure were also measured and family history of Type 2 diabetes recorded. Fifty people were identified with IGT and of these 21 were found to have persistent IGT and 29 transient IGT. A model including the variables body mass index, fasting and 2-h insulin levels, fasting triglycerides and family history of Type 2 diabetes was developed using the Speigelhalter-Knill-Jones weighting method to predict subjects with persistent IGT. This model could be useful in identifying people with persistent IGT and therefore eliminate the need for repeat OGTTs which are time consuming and expensive.

Blood Glucose

High-carbohydrate diets and insulin-dependent diabetics.

A high-carbohydrate-(HC)-modified fat diet was compared with a standard low-carbohydrate (LC) diabetic diet in 11 insulin-dependent diabetics. Basal and preprandial plasma glucose concentrations were appreciably lower when the patients received the HC diet derived chiefly from readily available cereal and vegetable sources (mean (+/- SE of mean) basal concentrations 6.7 +/- 1.2 mmol/l (121 +/- 22 mg/100 ml) with the LC diet and 4.3 +/- 0.7 mmol/l (77 +/- 13 mg/100 ml) with the HC diet; mean preprandial concentrations 11.1 +/- 1.2 mmol/l (200 +/- 22 mg/100 ml) LC diet and 8.9 +/- 1.3 mmol/l (160 +/- 23 mg/100 ml) HC diet). total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were lower when patients took the HC diet (mean 4.4 +/- 0.2 and 2.4 +/- 0.2 mmol/l (189 +/- 8 and 124 +/- 8 mg/100 ml) respectively), and the ratio of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to total cholesterol tended to rise. The average percentage of glycosylated haemoglobin did not differ between the two diets. Thus several measures of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism appear to be more satisfactory when patients receive a HC diet, which is an acceptable alternative to that still recommended to most insulin-requiring patients.

Adult

Improved glucose control in maturity-onset diabetes treated with high-carbohydrate-modified fat diet.

Fourteen patients with established maturity-onset diabetes were treated as outpatients with a high-carbohydrate-(about 60% of total daily energy requirements)-modified fat diet (ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to other fatty acids greater than or equal to 1:1) for six weeks. Commercially available and acceptable cereal foods and tuberous vegetables high in both digestible and non-digestible carbohydrates were used. Simple sugars were restricted. Compared with their usual, low-carbohydrate diabetic diet this diet resulted in a fall in basal plasma glucose concentration (average of values measured at 0300, 0500, and 0700), mean preprandial plasma glucose concentration (average of values measured at 0800, 1230, and 1730), and percentage of glycosylated haemoglobin. Modifying dietary fat also decreased the fasting plasma cholesterol concentration. The findings suggest that it is no longer justifiable to prescribe a low-carbohydrate diet for maturity-onset diabetes.

Blood Glucose

Fats and atheroma.

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Arteriosclerosis

Fats and atheroma: a retrial.

The controversy over medical endorsement of dietary measures to reduce cholesterol intake has been reconsidered. The results of several published reports that apparently do not confirm the association between diet, cholesterol concentrations, and ischaemic heart disease (IHD) were found to be largely inapplicable to the argument. Results of primary prevention trials, however, suggested that lowering the cholesterol concentration had a beneficial effect in reducing morbidity from IHD. The "average Western diet" is particularly associated with accelerated or premature atherosclerotic disease, yet the saturated fatty acid component of the diet may be only one of several factors relevant to IHD. Such diets are usually high in refined carbohydrate and total energy intake. Disordered nutrition generally, and other environmental and constitutional factors seem to be important in the aetiology of IHD. A prudent diet, incorporating decreased intake of fats, simple sugars, and refined carbohydrate, with polyunsaturated fats comprising less than 25% of total energy intake, may be the best method of reducing the incidence of IHD and other diseases of overnutrition.

Arteriosclerosis

Symptomless diverticular disease and intake of dietary fibre.

A study is reported in which the prevalence of symptomless diverticular disease of the colon is related to the consumption of dietary fibre in vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Vegetarians had a significantly higher mean fibre intake (41.5 g/day) than non-vegetarians (21.4 g/day). Diverticular disease was commoner in non-vegetarians (33%) than in vegetarians (12%). Comparison of subjects with and without diverticular disease in the vegetarian and non-vegetarian groups provided some further evidence that a low intake of cereal fibre is associated with the presence of diverticular disease.

Aged

Lipid abnormalities in untreated maturity-onset diabetics and the effect of treatment.

Plasma cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels and frequency of lipoprotein abnormalities were investigated in 126 untreated maturity-onset diabetics and 126 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Serum triglyceride levels were higher (mean: 1.67 mmol/l) and type IV hyperlipoproteinaemia occurred more frequently (16.7%) in the diabetic group as compared with the controls (1.29 mmol/l and 4.8% respectively). These findings were not explained by an excessive frequency of renal disease, hypertension or drug treatment amongst the diabetics. Normal men showed higher serum triglyceride (mean: 1.36 mmol/l) and lower plasma cholesterol (mean: 5.6 mmol/l) levels than normal women (1.21 mmol/l and 6.4 mmol/l respectively). No sex difference was seen amongst the diabetics. Triglyceride levels fell after one month of dietary treatment but only remained lowered in diabetics who required sulphonylureas for glycaemic control. After treatment for one year the correlation between serum triglycerides and blood glucose rose from r = 0.15 (NS) before treatment to r = 0.43 (p less than 0.001). Similarly the correlation between serum triglycerides and ponderal index rose from r = 0.19 (NS) to r = 0.28 (p less than 0.02).

Body Weight

High-density lipoprotein, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism during increasing fitness.

Eleven unfit bank executives in sedentary employment exercised daily for 10 weeks according to the Canadian Air-Force 5BX Exercise Programme. Over this period no changes were observed in the glucose or insulin responses to a standard breakfast or to intravenous glucose, or in the glucose response to intravenous insulin. There was a significant reduction in high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, but total plasma triglyceride and cholesterol levels were unaffected by exercise.

Adult

A prudent diet for the nation.

Nutritional factors in the aetiology of coronary heart disease, maturity-onset diabetes, diverticular disease and dental caries are discussed. Four principles for a prudent diet are suggested, namely: avoid excess intake of energy, increase dietary fibre intake, reduce total fat intake to approximately 30 per cent of energy intake, take a high proportion of fat as the polyunsaturated form.

Adult

Hyperlipidaemia following renal transplantation. A study of the prevalence, 'natural history' and dietary treatment.

In a study of 70 renal transplant patients, the prevalence of hyperlipidaemia eight to 28 months following transplantation was found to be 59 per cent. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were normal but low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were significantly elevated compared with controls. Lipid levels, measured before and sequentially after transplantation for 22 months in 10 patients were elevated over the first six to 10 months. Thereafter the lipid values returned to normal in most patients. This change coincided with the attainment of maintenance steroid dosage (usually prednisolone 10 mg. daily; mean 12.5 mg). A diet designed to decrease cholesterol and increase polyunsaturated fat intake, resulted in a significant reduction of serum cholesterol levels but not of triglyceride values over a four week period. The results suggest that the hyperlipidaemia in the initial months after transplantation may well be related to the high dose steroid therapy during this period, and the levels of lipid return to normal once low dose maintenance therapy is attained. Lipid profiles and levels in the first eight to 12 months are variable and should not form the basis for therapy or assessment. Dietary modification alone is unlikely to be an effective form of treatment of severe hyperlipidaemia in these patients.

Adolescent