Clinical characteristics and outcome of hyperglycaemic emergencies in Johannesburg Africans.

In this prospective analysis we investigated the clinical characteristics of black South African diabetic patients admitted to hospital with hyperglycaemic emergencies. The study cases were selected from the medical admissions to an urbanized, Johannesburg academic hospital over a period of 12 months. Only patients with severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperosmolar non-ketotic hyperglycaemia (HNKH) as defined in the text were included.

Plasma fatty acid levels in South African interethnic male high school pupils at different ultimate risks of coronary heart disease.

While coronary heart disease (CHD) is responsible for about a quarter of deaths in South African white, coloured and Indian populations, the rate is very low in the black population. Dietary risk factors for CHD include high intakes of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, with low intakes of mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids. In a characterization study, plasma fatty acid profiles have been determined in seven groups of high school pupils aged 16-18 years, namely, white, rural black, urban black and middle-class and lower socio-economic class coloureds and Indians.

Comprehensive management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. A diabetes clinic revisited.

Objective: To 'revisit' the Johannesburg Hospital diabetes clinic to ascertain whether the established risk factors for CAD were being identified and appropriately managed.

Design: Body mass indices (BMI), fasting lipograms and glycated haemoglobin (HBA) estimations were done on a random sample of white NIDDM patients aged over 35 years.

Results: Eighty-two patients (39 males, 43 females) were tested.

SSCP analysis of the tyrosine kinase domain of the insulin receptor gene: polymorphisms detected in South African black and white subjects.

The frequency of DNA polymorphisms in the tyrosine kinase domain (exons 17-21) of the insulin receptor gene was assessed in 30 black and 30 white South Africans, using single-stranded conformation polymorphism and direct sequencing analysis. A comparison of the frequencies of the normal versus the combined polymorphic alleles, found only in exon 17, showed a significant difference between black and white groups (P = 0.037).