To revise and expand the 1992 edition of the clinical practice guidelines for the management of diabetes in Canada incorporating recent advances in diagnosis and outpatient management of diabetes mellitus and to identify and assess the evidence supporting these recommendations.
All aspects of ambulatory diabetes care, including organization, responsibilities, classification, diagnosis, management of metabolic disorders, and methods for screening, prevention and treatment of complications in all forms of diabetes were reviewed, revised as required and expressed as a set of recommendations.
Reclassification of types of diabetes based on pathogenesis; increased sensitivity of diagnostic criteria; recommendations for screening for diabetes; improved delivery of care; recommendations for tighter metabolic control; and optimal methods for screening, prevention and treatment of complications of diabetes.
All recommendations were developed using a justifiable and reproducible process involving an explicit method for the citation and evaluation of the supporting evidence.
All recommendations were reviewed by an expert committee that included people with diabetes, family physicians, dietitians, nurses, diabetologists, as well as other subspecialists and methodologists from across Canada.
More aggressive screening strategies and more sensitive testing and diagnostic procedures will allow earlier detection and management of diabetes. Cost-effectiveness analyses suggest that this will lead to savings in health care costs relating to diabetes care by reducing the incidence of complications of diabetes. Similarly, tighter metabolic control in most people with diabetes, through intensive diabetes management, seeks to reduce the incidence of complications and, hence, their associated social and economic burdens.
This document contains numerous detailed recommendations pertaining to all aspects of ambulatory diabetes care, ranging from service delivery to prevention and treatment of diabetes-related complications. The terms "insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus" and "non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus" should be replaced by the terms "type 1" and "type 2" diabetes. Testing for diabetes using fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level should be performed every 3 years in those over 45 years of age. More frequent or earlier testing should be considered for people with additional specific risk factors for diabetes. The FPG level at which diabetes is diagnosed should be reduced from 7.8 to 7.0 mmol/L to improve the sensitivity of the main diagnostic criterion and reduce the number of missed diagnoses. Depending on the type of diabetes and the therapy required to achieve euglycemia, people with diabetes should generally strive for close metabolic control to achieve optimal glucose levels. This entails receiving appropriate diabetes education through a diabetes health care team, diligent self-monitoring of blood glucose, attention to lifestyle and adjustments in diet and physical activity, and the appropriate and stepwise use of oral agents and insulin therapies needed to maintain glycemic control. Also highlighted is the need for appropriate surveillance programs for complications and management options.
All recommendations were graded according to the strength of the evidence and consensus of all relevant stakeholders. Collateral efforts of the American Diabetes Association and the World Health Organization and the input of international experts were also considered throughout the revision process.
Notes
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The 2008 Canadian Hypertension Education Program recommendations for the management of hypertension: Part 1 - blood pressure measurement, diagnosis and assessment of risk.
To provide updated, evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and assessment of adults with hypertension.
The diagnosis of hypertension is dependent on appropriate blood pressure measurement, the timely assessment of serially elevated readings, degree of blood pressure elevation, method of measurement (office, ambulatory, home) and associated comorbidities. The presence of cardiovascular risk factors and target organ damage should be ascertained to assess global cardiovascular risk and determine the urgency, intensity and type of treatment required.
MEDLINE searches were conducted from November 2006 to October 2007 with the aid of a medical librarian. Reference lists were scanned, experts were contacted, and the personal files of authors and subgroup members were used to identify additional studies. Content and methodological experts assessed studies using prespecified, standardized evidence-based algorithms. Recommendations were based on evidence from peer-reviewed, full-text articles only.
Recommendations for blood pressure measurement, criteria for hypertension diagnosis and follow-up, assessment of global cardiovascular risk, diagnostic testing, diagnosis of renovascular and endocrine causes of hypertension, home and ambulatory monitoring, and the use of echocardiography in hypertensive individuals are outlined. Key messages in 2008 include continued emphasis on the expedited, accurate diagnosis of hypertension, the importance of global risk assessment and the need for ongoing monitoring of hypertensive patients to identify incident type 2 diabetes.
All recommendations were graded according to strength of the evidence and voted on by the 57 members of the Canadian Hypertension Education Program Evidence-Based Recommendations Task Force. All recommendations reported here received at least 70% consensus. These guidelines will continue to be updated annually.
Notes
Cites: Am Heart J. 2000 Feb;139(2 Pt 1):272-8110650300
Cites: Arch Intern Med. 2007 Nov 26;167(21):2296-30318039987
Cites: Clin Radiol. 2000 May;55(5):346-5310816399
Cites: Can J Cardiol. 2000 Sep;16(9):1094-10211021953
Lower duodenal biopsies (LDB) are not taken at every oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD). In the present study, biopsies from the endoscopic normal lower duodenum were checked as a measure of quality assurance. From 1996 to 2000, 9,955 EGD were performed and 4,199 LDB were taken (42.2 %). Of these, 667 showed pathological histology (15.9 %). A non-specific inflammation was seen in 537 cases and lymphangiectasia in 30 cases. Signs of indigenous sprue were described histologically in 6 LDB. In 4 of the 6 first diagnoses, the LDB was taken owing to clinical suspicion of malabsorption syndrome. Giardia lamblia could be detected in 22 patients. Only 6 of the 22 patients had diarrhoea. A total of 18 clinically relevant first diagnoses were made by LDB in asymptomatic patients with normal endoscopic findings in the duodenum. In order to make a relevant first diagnosis, 233 LDB had to be taken. LDB can be dispensed within EGD when there is neither diarrhoea nor loss of weight, and no anemia, iron deficiency, vitamin deficiency, macrocytosis, hypoproteinaemia, meteorism, joint symptoms or fever.
We aimed to use the consensus opinion of a group of expert emergency physicians to derive a set of emergency diagnoses for acute abdominal pain that might be used as clinically significant outcomes for future research.
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of emergency physicians with expertise in abdominal pain. These experts were authors of textbook chapters, peer-reviewed original research with a focus on abdominal pain or widely published clinical guidelines. Respondents were asked to categorize 50 possible diagnoses of acute abdominal pain into 1 of 3 categories: 1) unacceptable not to diagnose on the first emergency department (ED) visit; 2) although optimal to diagnose on first visit, failure to diagnose would not be expected to have serious adverse consequences provided the patient had follow-up within the next 2-7 days; 3) if not diagnosed during the first visit, unlikely to cause long-term risk to the patient provided the patient had follow-up within the next 1-2 months. Standard descriptive statistical analysis was used to summarize survey data.
Thirty emergency physicians completed the survey. Of 50 total diagnoses, 16 were categorized as "unacceptable not to diagnose in the ED" with greater than 85% agreement, and 12 were categorized as "acceptable not to diagnose in the ED" with greater than 85% agreement.
Our study identifies a set of abdominal pain conditions considered by expert emergency physicians to be clinically important to diagnose during the initial ED visit. These diseases may be used as "clinically significant" outcomes for future research on abdominal pain.
The aim of the study was to assess the association of abdominal symptoms in a random sample of a general population and to find whether the associations could be confirmed at follow-up 5 years later. The study population was a sex- and age-stratified random sample of people living in the western part of Copenhagen County, Denmark. Of 4807 eligible subjects 79% attended the study and filled in a questionnaire on abdominal symptoms. Five years later the study was repeated and 85% of the survivors participated. Data from both studies were analysed separately for sex, age group and the following pain variables: unspecified abdominal pain, pain located to the epigastrium, pain provoked by stress or hunger, pain relieved by eating and pain relieved by defecation. Three clusters of symptoms occurred in all the analyses: borborygmi/altering stool consistency/distension; acid regurgitation/heartburn and nausea/vomiting. Unspecified pain was associated with all three clusters, pain provoked by stress or hunger and pain relieved by defecation associated with the borborygmi/altering stool/distension cluster, whereas pain in the epigastrium and pain relieved by eating did not show consistent relationships to any of the clusters. Additionally, the clusters associated with each other more often than could be expected by chance. As a consequence of our findings we suggest that the three clusters of symptoms constitute three common abdominal syndromes.
Eight cases of abdominal tuberculosis (5 indigenous and 3 immigrants) treated in Cardiff in the 5-year period 1972-6 were studied to determine clinical presentation, errors in diagnosis and usefulness of investigations. The heterogeneous presentation is reflected in the 7 types of lesion seen in the 8 cases. Anorexia and weight loss were present in all cases and abdominal colic and post-prandial discomfort were common. No patient had diarrhoea, constipation or intestinal obstruction. The clinical diagnosis was wrong 7 out of 8 times. Investigations were unhelpful in the diagnosis and where a lesion was found on barium studies, a diagnosis of Crohn's disease or carcinoma was made. The same was true of the findings at laparotomy. The examinations most useful in the diagnosis were histopathological examination for caseation and demonstration of acid-fast bacilli by alcohol and acid-fast tissue stains, or by a culture technique. The need for a greater awareness of abdominal tuberculosis, not only in immigrants but also in the indigenous population of Britain, is apparent.
Abdominal tuberculosis (TB) is unusual in Sweden today. This paper presents two patients born 1981 and 1975, one with perforated duodenal ulcer due to Helicobacter pylori and/or Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Acute operation with suture was done, signs of granulomatous inflammation revealed culture positive for TB. The other was operated with appendectomy; the pathology was TB in the mesenteries and outside the caecum. Antituberculosis chemotherapy was given in both cases and neither patient suffered any major problems. These two cases show how important it is for surgeons to be aware of TB nowadays, particularly in patients born outside Sweden or those undergoing immune therapy.
