The assessment of quality of care of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a population-based cohort in the District of Landeck in Austria.

Introduction: Structured diabetes care based on evidence-based guidelines is one of the main strategies to improve glycemic control and to reduce long-term complications in diabetes mellitus.

Methods: This study is based on the "Diabetes-Landeck Cohort", a population-based cohort of patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM). We assessed the quality of diabetes care and compared it between three groups of care units, that is, general practitioners (GP), diabetes specialists in private practice (DSPP), and hospitals (HOSP).

[Geriatric aspects for the management of diabetes mellitus (Update 2023)].

There is a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the elderly population of industrial countries. The present article provides recommendations for the screening, prevention and treatment of elderly diabetic patients according to current scientific evidence.

[Sex and gender-specific aspects in prediabetes and diabetes mellitus-clinical recommendations (Update 2023)].

Metabolic diseases dramatically affect the life of men and women from infancy up to old age in different and manifold ways and are a major challenge for the healthcare system. The treating physicians are confronted with the different needs of women and men in the clinical routine. Gender-specific differences affect pathophysiology, screening, diagnostic and treatment strategies of diseases as well as the development of complications and mortality rates.

[Clinical practice recommendations for diabetes in pregnancy (Update 2023)].

In 1989 the St. Vincent Declaration aimed to achieve comparable pregnancy outcomes in women with diabetes and those with normal glucose tolerance. However, currently women with pre-gestational diabetes still feature a higher risk of perinatal morbidity and even increased mortality.

[Gestational diabetes mellitus (Update 2023)].

Gestational diabetes (GDM) is defined as any degree of glucose intolerance with onset during pregnancy and is associated with increased feto-maternal morbidity as well as long-term complications in mothers and the offspring. Women detected to have diabetes early in pregnancy receive the diagnosis of overt, non-gestational, diabetes (glucose: fasting ≥ 126 mg/dl, spontaneous ≥ 200 mg/dl or HbA ≥ 6.5% before 20 weeks of gestation).

[Diagnosis and insulin therapy of type 1 diabetes mellitus (Update 2023)].

This guideline summarizes diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, including accompanying autoimmune disorders, insulin therapy regimens and glycemic target values.

[Injection therapy of diabetes].

The present article is a recommendation of the Austrian Diabetes Association for the practical use of injection therapy (GLP1-receptor agonists and insulin) in type 2 diabetes.

[Antihyperglycemic treatment guidelines for diabetes mellitus type 2 (Update 2023)].

Hyperglycemia significantly contributes to complications in patients with diabetes mellitus. While lifestyle interventions remain cornerstones of disease prevention and treatment, most patients with type 2 diabetes will eventually require pharmacotherapy for glycemic control. The definition of individual targets regarding optimal therapeutic efficacy and safety as well as cardiovascular effects is of great importance.

Detecting disabilities in everyday life: evidence from a geriatric assessment.

Background: The activities of daily living (ADL) score is a widely used index to establish the degree of independence from any help in everyday life situations. Measuring ADL accurately is time-consuming and costly. This paper presents a framework to approximate ADL via variables usually collected in comprehensive geriatric assessments.

Inappropriate pelvic floor muscle activation during forced exhalation and coughing in elderly female inpatients with urinary incontinence.

Background: Reduced pelvic floor muscle (PFM) contraction strength is a common condition in elderly female patients with urinary incontinence (UI). However, little data exist to demonstrate the importance of appropriate PFM activation during exhaling and coughing.

Objectives: To analyse breathing and coughing patterns in elderly female inpatients with UI, and to assess PFM activation patterns during exhalation and coughing.

Risk factors for diabetic foot complications among patients with type 2 diabetes in Austria-A registry-based retrospective cohort study.

Aims: Diabetic foot complications, a serious consequence of diabetes mellitus, are associated with a tremendous burden on both individual patients and health care systems. Since prevention strategies may reduce the incidence of this complication, identification of risk factors in large longitudinal studies is essential to optimize early detection and personalized screening of patients at increased risk.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a registry-based retrospective cohort study using data from 10,688 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus aged ≥18 years.

Risk factors for diabetic foot complications in type 2 diabetes-A systematic review.

Aims: With increasing numbers of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) worldwide, the number of associated diabetic foot complications might also increase. This systematic review was performed to summarize published data about risk factors for the diabetic foot (DF) syndrome in order to improve the identification of high-risk patients.

Materials And Methods: Six electronic databases were searched for publications up to August 2019 using predefined stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Impact of a nutrition education programme on free sugar intake & nutrition-related knowledge in fifth-grade schoolchildren.

Background: The objective was to evaluate a 5-week nutrition education programme (ACTION) in fifth-grade schoolchildren in Austria on free sugar intake, nutrition-related knowledge (NRK) and with the RE-AIM framework on the overall public health impact.

Methods: A prospective case-controlled cohort (pre-post design) from seven secondary schools in Vienna tested programme efficacy. NRK was assessed with a 20-item questionnaire and dietary behaviour and free sugar intake with a semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire.

Covid-19 screening: are forehead temperature measurements during cold outdoor temperatures really helpful?

Background: Body temperature control is a frequently used screening test for infectious diseases, such as Covid-19 (Sars-CoV-2). We used this procedure to test the body temperature of staff members in a hospital in Tyrol (Austria), where the Covid-19 disease occurred in March 2020. The hospital is located in a mountain area at 995 m above sea level with low outdoor temperatures during early spring season.

Long-term trends in the prescription of antidiabetic drugs: real-world evidence from the Diabetes Registry Tyrol 2012-2018.

Introduction: Prescription patterns of antidiabetic drugs in the period from 2012 to 2018 were investigated based on the Diabetes Registry Tyrol. To validate the findings, we compared the numbers with trends of different national registries conducted in a comparable period of time.

Research Design And Methods: Medication data, prescription patterns, age groups, antidiabetic therapies and quality parameters (hemoglobin A1c, body mass index, complications) of 10 875 patients with type 2 diabetes from 2012 to 2018 were retrospectively assessed and descriptively analyzed.

Multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation improves the long-term functional status of geriatric hip-fracture patients.

Background: As the world population ages, the number of hip-related fractures in the elderly is steadily increasing. These fractures generate a major worldwide healthcare problem and frequently lead to deterioration of life quality, mobility and independence in activity of daily life of geriatric patients. At present, many studies have investigated and proved benefits of multidisciplinary orthogeriatric care for elderly hip-fracture patients.

Will the COVID-19 pandemic slow down in the Northern hemisphere by the onset of summer? An epidemiological hypothesis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected most countries of the world. As corona viruses are highly prevalent in the cold season, the question remains whether or not the pandemic will improve with increasing temperatures in the Northern hemisphere. We use data from a primary care registry of almost 15,000 patients over 20 years to retrieve information on viral respiratory infection outbreaks.

[Geriatric aspects for the management of diabetes mellitus (Update 2019)].

There is a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the elderly population of industrial countries. The present article provides recommendations for the screening, prevention and treatment of elderly diabetic patients according to current scientific evidence.

[Clinical practice recommendations for diabetes in pregnancy (Update 2019)].

In 1989 the St. Vincent Declaration aimed to achieve comparable pregnancy outcomes in diabetic and non-diabetic women. However, currently women with pre-gestational diabetes still feature a higher risk of perinatal morbidity and even increased mortality.

[Diabetes education and counselling in adult patients with diabetes (Update 2019)].

Diabetes education and self-management play a critical role in diabetes care. Patient empowerment aims to actively influence the course of the disease by self-monitoring and subsequent treatment modification as well as the ability of patients to integrate diabetes into their daily life and to appropriately adapt it to their life style situation. Diabetes education has to be made accessible for all persons with the disease.

[Sex and gender-specific aspects in prediabetes and diabetes mellitus-clinical recommendations (Update 2019)].

Metabolic diseases dramatically affect the life of men and women from infancy up to old age in different and manifold ways and are a major challenge for the healthcare system. The treating physicians are confronted with the different needs of women and men in the clinical routine. Gender-specific differences affect screening, diagnostic and treatment strategies as well as the development of complications and mortality rates.

[Gestational diabetes mellitus (Update 2019)].

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as a glucose tolerance disorder with onset during pregnancy and is associated with increased feto-maternal morbidity as well as long-term complications in mother and child. Women who fulfil the criteria of a manifest diabetes in early pregnancy (fasting plasma glucose >126 mg/dl, spontaneous glucose level >200 mg/dl or HbA1c > 6.5% before 20 weeks of gestation) should be classified as having manifest diabetes in pregnancy and treated as such.

[Antihyperglycemic treatment guidelines for diabetes mellitus type 2 (Update 2019)].

Hyperglycemia significantly contributes to complications in patients with diabetes mellitus. While lifestyle interventions remain cornerstones of disease prevention and treatment, most patients with type 2 diabetes will eventually require pharmacotherapy for glycemic control. The definition of individual targets regarding optimal therapeutic efficacy and safety as well as cardiovascular effects is of great importance.

[Insulin therapy of type 2 diabetes mellitus (Update 2019)].

The present article is a recommendation of the Austrian Diabetes Association for the practical use of insulin in type 2 diabetes, including the various insulin regimens.