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To evaluate proposals considering HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) measurement as a substitute for oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to diagnose hyperglycaemia in pregnancy (HIP) during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Of the 7,334 women who underwent the OGTT between 22 and 30 weeks gestation, 966 had HIP (WHO diagnostic criteria, reference standard). The 467 women who had an available HbA1c were used for analysis. French-speaking Society of Diabetes (SFD) proposal to diagnose HIP during COVID-19 pandemic was retrospectively applied: HbA1c 5.7% (39 mmol/mol) and/or FPG level 5.1 mmol/l. SFD proposal sensitivity for HIP diagnosis and the occurrence of HIP-related events (preeclampsia, large for gestational age infant, shoulder dystocia or neonatal hypoglycaemia) in women with false negative (FN) and true positive (TP) HIP-diagnoses were evaluated. Results: The sensitivity was 57% [95% confidence interval 52-62]. FN women had globally lower plasma glucose levels during OGTT, lower HbA1c and body mass index than those TP. The percentage of HIP-related events was similar in FN (who were cared) and TP cases,

We aimed to evaluate each proposal of Australian–New Zealand Societies to limit the number of oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) to diagnose hyperglycemia in pregnancy (HIP) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. At our university hospital (2012–2016), we retrospectively applied in 4245 women who had OGTT between 22 and 30 weeks of gestation (reference standard: WHO criteria) the proposals in which OGTT is performed only in high-risk women; in all (Option 1) or high-risk (Option 1-Sel) women with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) 4.7–5.0 mmol/L; in all (Option 2) or high-risk (Option 2-Sel) women without history of HIP and with FPG 4.7–5.0 mmol/L. We also tested FPG measurement alone in all high-risk women. Measuring FPG alone had a sensitivity of 49% (95% confidence interval 45–54) applying universal screening. Option 2 appeared to have the best balance considering the needed OGTT (17.3%), sensitivity (72% (67–76)) and rates of a composite outcome (true negative cases: 10.6%, false positive cases: 24.4%; true positive cases: 19.5%; false negative cases: 10.2%). Consideration of a history of HIP and measuring first FPG can avoid more than 80% of OGTTs and identify women with the highest risk of adverse HIP-related events.

Background Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has anatomic and functional proximity to the heart and is considered a novel diagnostic marker and therapeutic target in cardiometabolic diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether EAT volume was associated with coronary artery calcification (CAC) in people living with diabetes, independently of confounding factors. Methods We included all consecutive patients with diabetes whose EAT volume and CAC score were measured using computed tomography between January 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020 in the Department of Diabetology-Endocrinology-Nutrition at Avicenne Hospital, France. Determinants of EAT volume and a CAC score ≥ 100 Agatston units (AU) were evaluated. Results The study population comprised 409 patients (218 men). Mean (± standard deviation) age was 57 ± 12 years, and 318, 56 and 35 had type 2 (T2D), type 1 (T1D), or another type of diabetes, respectively. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 29 ± 6 kg/m2, mean AET volume 93 ± 38 cm3. EAT volume was positively correlated with age, BMI, pack-year smoking history and triglyceridaemia, but negatively correlated with HDL-cholesterol level. Furthermore, it was lower in people with retinopathy, but higher in men, in Caucasian people, in patients on antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medication, in people with nephropathy, and finally in individuals with a CAC ≥ 100 AU (CAC < 100 vs CAC ≥ 100: 89 ± 35 vs 109 ± 41 cm3, respectively, p < 0.05). In addition to EAT volume, other determinants of CAC ≥ 100 AU (n = 89, 22%) were age, T2D, ethnicity, antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medication, cumulative tobacco consumption, retinopathy, macular edema and macrovascular disease. Multivariable analysis considering all these determinants as well as gender and BMI showed that EAT volume was independently associated with CAC ≥ 100 AU (per 10 cm3 increase: OR 1.11 [1.02–1.20]). Conclusions EAT volume was independently associated with CAC. As it may play a role in coronary atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes, reducing EAT volume through physical exercise, improved diet and pharmaceutical interventions may improve future cardiovascular risk outcomes in this population.

Background Both visceral adipose tissue and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) have pro-inflammatory properties. The former is associated with Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) severity. We aimed to investigate whether an association also exists for EAT. Material and methods We retrospectively measured EAT volume using computed tomography (CT) scans (semi-automatic software) of inpatients with COVID-19 and analyzed the correlation between EAT volume and anthropometric characteristics and comorbidities. We then analyzed the clinicobiological and radiological parameters associated with severe COVID-19 (O2 $$\ge$$ ≥ 6 l/min), intensive care unit (ICU) admission or death, and 25% or more CT lung involvement, which are three key indicators of COVID-19 severity. Results We included 100 consecutive patients; 63% were men, mean age was 61.8 ± 16.2 years, 47% were obese, 54% had hypertension, 42% diabetes, and 17.2% a cardiovascular event history. Severe COVID-19 (n = 35, 35%) was associated with EAT volume (132 ± 62 vs 104 ± 40 cm3, p = 0.02), age, ferritinemia, and 25% or more CT lung involvement. ICU admission or death (n = 14, 14%) was associated with EAT volume (153 ± 67 vs 108 ± 45 cm3, p = 0.015), hypertension and 25% or more CT lung involvement. The association between EAT volume and severe COVID-19 remained after adjustment for sex, BMI, ferritinemia and lung involvement, but not after adjustment for age. Instead, the association between EAT volume and ICU admission or death remained after adjustment for all five of these parameters. Conclusions Our results suggest that measuring EAT volume on chest CT scans at hospital admission in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 might help to assess the risk of disease aggravation.

Context Diabetes is reported as a risk factor for severe COVID-19, but whether this risk is similar in all categories of age remains unclear. Objective To investigate the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes in hospitalized patients with and without diabetes according to age categories. Design Setting and Participants We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of 6,314 consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19 between February and June 30 2020, and follow-up recorded until 30 September 2020, in the Paris metropolitan area, France. Main Outcome Measure(s) The main outcome was a composite outcome of mortality and orotracheal intubation in subjects with diabetes compared with subjects without diabetes, after adjustment for confounding variables and according to age categories. Results Diabetes was recorded in 39% of subjects. Main outcome was higher in patients with diabetes, independently of confounding variables (HR 1.13 [1.03-1.24]) and increased with age in individuals without diabetes, from 23% for those &lt;50 to 35% for those &gt;80 years but reached a plateau after 70 in those with diabetes. In direct comparison between patients with and without diabetes, diabetes-associated risk was inversely proportional to age, highest in &lt;50 and similar after 70 years. Similarly, mortality was higher in patients with diabetes (26%) than in those without diabetes (22%, p&lt;0.001), but adjusted HR for diabetes was significant only in patients under 50 (HR 1.81 [1.14-2.87]). Conclusions Diabetes should be considered as an independent risk factor for the severity of COVID-19 in young adults more so than in older adults, especially for individuals younger than 70 years.

We aimed to compare pregnancy outcomes in 4665 women according to the following types of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy sub-types: (i) normoglycaemia, (ii) gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), (iii) diabetes in pregnancy (DIP), (iv) early-diagnosed (i.e., <22 weeks of gestation) GDM (eGDM), and (v) early-diagnosed DIP (eDIP). The prevalence of normoglycaemia, eGDM, eDIP, GDM, and DIP was 76.4%, 10.8%, 0.6%, 11.7%, and 0.6%, respectively. With regard to pregnancy outcomes, gestational weight gain (11.5 ± 5.5, 9.0 ± 5.4, 8.3 ± 4.7, 10.4 ± 5.3, and 10.1 ± 5.0 kg, p < 0.0001) and insulin requirement (none, 46.0%, 88.5%, 25.5%, and 51.7%; p < 0.001) differed according to the glycaemic sub-types. eGDM and eDIP were associated with higher rates of infant malformation. After adjustment for confounders, with normoglycaemia as the reference, only GDM was associated with large-for-gestational-age infant (odds ratio 1.34 (95% interval confidence 1.01–1.78) and only DIP was associated with hypertensive disorders (OR 3.48 (1.26–9.57)). To conclude, early-diagnosed hyperglycaemia was associated with an increased risk of malformation, suggesting that it was sometimes present at conception. Women with GDM, but not those with eGDM, had an increased risk of having a large-for-gestational-age infant, possibly because those with eGDM were treated early and therefore had less gestational weight gain. Women with DIP might benefit from specific surveillance for hypertensive disorders.

Background Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is considered a novel diagnostic marker for cardiometabolic disease. This study aimed to evaluate whether EAT volume was associated with stress-induced myocardial ischemia in asymptomatic people living with diabetes—independently of confounding factors—and whether it could predict this condition. Methods We included asymptomatic patients with diabetes and no coronary history, who had undergone both a stress a myocardial scintigraphy to diagnose myocardial ischemia, and a computed tomography to measure their coronary artery calcium (CAC) score. EAT volume was retrospectively measured from computed tomography imaging. Determinants of EAT volume and asymptomatic myocardial ischemia were evaluated. Results The study population comprised 274 individuals, including 153 men. Mean (± standard deviation) age was 62 ± 9 years, and 243, 23 and 8 had type 2, type 1, or another type of diabetes, respectively. Mean body mass index was 30 ± 6 kg/m2, and mean EAT volume 96 ± 36 cm3. Myocardial ischemia was detected in 32 patients (11.7%). EAT volume was positively correlated with age, body mass index and triglyceridemia, but negatively correlated with HbA1c, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol levels. Furthermore, EAT volume was lower in people with retinopathy, but higher in men, in current smokers, in patients with nephropathy, those with a CAC score > 100 Agatston units, and finally in individuals with myocardial ischemia (110 ± 37 cm3 vs 94 ± 37 cm3 in those without myocardial ischemia, p < 0.05). The association between EAT volume and myocardial ischemia remained significant after adjustment for gender, diabetes duration, peripheral macrovascular disease and CAC score. We also found that area under the ROC curve analysis showed that EAT volume (AROC: 0.771 [95% confidence interval 0.683–0.858]) did not provide improved discrimination of myocardial ischemia over the following classic factors: gender, diabetes duration, peripheral macrovascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, smoking, atherogenic dyslipidemia, and CAC score (AROC 0.773 [0.683–0.862]). Conclusions EAT may play a role in coronary atherosclerosis and coronary circulation in patients with diabetes. However, considering EAT volume is not a better marker for discriminating the risk of asymptomatic myocardial ischemia than classic clinical data.