Pancreas is a doubled-entity organ, with both an exocrine and an endocrine component, reciprocally interacting in a composed system whose function is relevant for digestion, absorption, and homeostasis of nutrients. Thus, it is not surprising that disorders of the exocrine pancreas also affect the endocrine system and vice versa. It is well-known that patients with chronic pancreatitis develop a peculiar form of diabetes (type III), caused by destruction and fibrotic injury of islet cells. However, less is known on the influence of diabetes on pancreatic exocrine function. Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) has been reported to be common in diabetics, with a prevalence widely ranging, in different studies, in both type I (25–74%) and type II (28–54%) diabetes. A long disease duration, high insulin requirement, and poor glycemic control seem to be risk factors for PEI occurrence. The impact of pancreatic exocrine replacement therapy on glycemic, insulin, and incretins profiles has not been fully elucidated. The present paper is aimed at reviewing published studies investigating the prevalence of PEI in diabetic patients and factors associated with its occurrence.

ObjectiveThe English Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) programme recommends patients with M1 diabetic maculopathy to be referred to hospital eye services. DES uses flash fundus photography as the reference standard for maculopathy grading. We compared multicolour versus non-stereoscopic fundus photography at identifying M1 maculopathy, with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) identifying macular thickening.Methods and analysisThis cross-sectional study included 345 patients with R1M1 referred from DES and reviewed in secondary care with fundus photographs, multicolour and SD-OCT. Maculopathy was graded based on DES exudate criteria on both multicolour and fundus photography in a blind fashion by two independent graders. Macular thickness was ascertained on SD-OCT.ResultsIntergrader agreement on grading maculopathy using fundus photography (Cohen’s κ=0.91) and multicolour (Cohen’s κ=0.82) was ‘almost perfect’. Agreement between fundus photography and multicolour on grading maculopathy (Cohen’s κ=0.76) was ‘substantial’. Compared with fundus photography, multicolour had sensitivity of 87% (95% CI 81% to 93%) and specificity of 90% (95% CI 87% to 94%) in detecting M1 maculopathy. SD-OCT identified 84 eyes with macular thickening, 47 of which were graded as M0 by fundus photography. 5 eyes with exudates and severe macular oedema requiring urgent intervention were also missed on fundus photography but not on multicolour. Multicolour, when complemented by SD-OCT, did not miss any clinically significant macular oedema.ConclusionMulticolour integrates synergistically in a single platform with SD-OCT providing effective monitoring of M1 diabetic maculopathy. The need for fundus photography is eliminated by multicolour/SD-OCT in dedicated R1M1 virtual clinics not requiring parallel diabetic retinopathy grading.

A 3-year-old girl presented with recurrent exotropia following primary strabismus surgery. Careful fundus examination of the left eye revealed loss of the foveal reflex and presence of a subtle grayish mass with overlying white fluff. Optical coherence tomography through the lesion revealed disorganization of inner and outer retinal layers with accompanying epiretinal gliosis. Together, these findings were suggestive of combined hamartoma of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (CHRRPE). No syndromic association was found. CHRRPE is a rare retinal tumor that usually presents with visual loss, strabismus, or follows an asymptomatic course. Retinal tumors must be kept in mind whenever loss of foveal reflex occurs concurrently with strabismus.

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