Sedating antihistamine treatment with promethazine in patients with severe COPD with and without asthma: death and severe exacerbations in a nationwide register study.

Background: Sedating antihistamines such as promethazine are used as anxiolytics and hypnotic agents for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with and without asthma despite limited knowledge of its effects and side effects. We evaluated if treatment with promethazine had a lower risk of harmful outcome.

Methods: Nationwide retrospective cohort study of Danish specialist diagnosed outpatients with COPD treated with promethazine or an active comparator (melatonin).

Interleukin-1 antagonism in type 1 diabetes of recent onset: two multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.

Background: Innate immunity contributes to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, but until now no randomised, controlled trials of blockade of the key innate immune mediator interleukin-1 have been done. We aimed to assess whether canakinumab, a human monoclonal anti-interleukin-1 antibody, or anakinra, a human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, improved β-cell function in recent-onset type 1 diabetes.

Methods: We did two randomised, placebo-controlled trials in two groups of patients with recent-onset type 1 diabetes and mixed-meal-tolerance-test-stimulated C peptide of at least 0·2 nM.

Diabetes prevalence and quality of diabetes care among Lebanese or Turkish immigrants compared to a native Danish population.

Objectives: To describe Type 2 diabetes prevalence and care among Turkish (T) and Lebanese (L) immigrants as compared to native Danes (DK) in the county of Aarhus.

Method: Data from The National Health Service Registry, The Regional Laboratory Database and The Danish National Hospital Registry were collected from 2000 through 2003 to identify and describe known diabetes in a background population of 244.426 citizens in the age group of 40-70 years living in the County of Aarhus.

[Myocardial necrosis with late occurrence of ventricular tachyarrythmia secondary to diabetic ketoacidosis].

We present a case of a 27-year-old woman with diabetic ketoacidosis, who developed myocardial necrosis with raised troponin T, CKMB, universal ST-segment elevations and ventricular tachyarrythmia 27 hours after admission. At that time the initial electrolyte disturbances and ketoacidosis had been resolved. Coronary angiography was normal, but echocardiography showed impaired left ventricle function, with an ejection fraction of 45%.

[Diabetic ketoacedosis].

The diagnosis of diabetic ketoacedosis (DKA) may be based upon simple biochemical findings. Measurement of b-hydroxybutyrate in blood may replace semi-quantitative measurement of acetoacetic acid in urine. A list of criteria of graduating severity is suggested for the selection of patients to be treated in intensive care units.