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Objective: To determine the extent of, and reasons for, ethnic differences in type 2 diabetes incidence in the U.K.Research Design and Methods: Population-based triethnic cohort. Participants were without diabetes, aged 40-69 at baseline (1989-1991), and followed-up for 20 years. Baseline measurements included fasting and postglucose bloods, anthropometry, and lifestyle questionnaire. Incident diabetes was identified from medical records and participant recall. Ethnic differences in diabetes incidence were examined using competing risks regression.Results: Incident diabetes was identified in 196 of 1,354 (14%) Europeans, 282 of 839 (34%) Indian Asians, and 100 of 335 (30%) African Caribbeans. All Indian Asians and African Caribbeans were first-generation migrants. Compared with Europeans, age-adjusted subhazard ratios (SHRs [95% CI]) for men and women, respectively, were 2.88 (95%, 2.36-3.53; P < 0.001) and 1.91 (1.18-3.10; P = 0.008) in Indian Asians, and 2.23 (1.64-3.03; P < 0.001) and 2.51 (1.63-3.87; P < 0.001) in African Caribbeans. Differences in baseline insulin resistance and truncal obesity largely attenuated the ethnic minority excess in women (adjusted SHRs: Indian Asians 0.77 [0.49-1.42]; P = 0.3; African Caribbeans 1.48 [0.89-2.45]; P = 0.13), but not in men (adjusted SHRs: Indian Asians 1.98 [1.52-2.58]; P < 0.001 and African Caribbeans, 2.05 [1.46-2.89; P < 0.001]).Conclusions: Insulin resistance and truncal obesity account for the twofold excess incidence of diabetes in Indian Asian and African Caribbean women, but not men. Explanations for the excess diabetes risk in ethnic minority men remains unclear. Further study requires more precise measures of conventional risk factors and identification of novel risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the association of the inflammatory markers serum amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) with retinal microvascular parameters in hypertensive individuals with and without type 2 diabetes.Research Design and Methods: This cross-sectional analysis was a substudy in 711 patients (159 with and 552 without diabetes) of the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT) based on digital 30-degree images of superior and inferior temporal retinal fields.Results: SAA was associated with arteriolar length-to-diameter ratio positively in nondiabetic patients (P(trend)= 0.028) but negatively in diabetic patients (P(trend)= 0.005). The difference was unlikely to be a chance finding (P = 0.007 for interaction). Similar results were found for the association of SAA with arteriolar tortuosity (P = 0.05 for interaction). Associations were less pronounced for CRP and retinal parameters.Conclusions: Inflammatory processes are differentially involved in retinal microvascular disease in diabetic compared with nondiabetic hypertensive individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We examined longitudinal associations between prediabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (coronary heart disease [CHD] and stroke) in Europeans and South Asians., Research Design and Methods: This was a U.K. cohort study of 1,336 Europeans and 1,139 South Asians, aged 40-69 years at baseline (1988-1991). Assessment included blood pressure, blood tests, anthropometry, and questionnaires. Prediabetes was determined by OGTT or HbA1c, using either International Expert Committee (IEC) (HbA1c 6.0-6.5% [42-48 mmol/mol]) or American Diabetes Association (ADA) (HbA1c 5.7-6.5% [39-48 mmol/mol]) cut points. Incident CHD and stroke were established at 20 years from death certification, hospital admission, primary care record review, and participant report., Results: Compared with normoglycemic individuals, IEC-defined prediabetes was related to both CHD and CVD risk in Europeans but not South Asians (subhazard ratio for CHD 1.68 [95% CI 1.19, 2.38] vs. 1.00 [0.75, 1.33], ethnicity interaction P = 0.008, and for CVD 1.49 [1.08, 2.07] vs. 1.03 [0.78, 1.36], ethnicity interaction P = 0.04). Conversely, IEC-defined prediabetes was associated with stroke risk in South Asians but not Europeans (1.73 [1.03, 2.90] vs. 0.85 [0.44, 1.64], ethnicity interaction P = 0.11). Risks were adjusted for age, sex, smoking, total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, and antihypertensive use. Associations were weaker for OGTT or ADA-defined prediabetes. Conversion from prediabetes to diabetes was greater in South Asians, but accounting for time to conversion did not account for these ethnic differences., Conclusions: Associations between prediabetes and CVD differed by prediabetes diagnostic criterion, type of CVD, and ethnicity, with associations being present for overall CVD in Europeans but not South Asians. Substantiation of these findings and investigation of potential explanations are required., (© 2015 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.)

OBJECTIVE Diabetes is associated with left ventricular (LV) diastolic and systolic dysfunction. South Asians may be at particular risk of developing LV dysfunction owing to a high prevalence of diabetes. We investigated the role of diabetes and hyperglycemia in LV dysfunction in a community-based cohort of older South Asians and white Europeans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Conventional and Doppler echocardiography was performed in 999 participants (542 Europeans and 457 South Asians aged 58-86 years) in a population-based study. Anthropometry, fasting bloods, coronary artery calcification scoring, blood pressure, and renal function were measured. RESULTS Diabetes and hyperglycemia across the spectrum of HbA1c had a greater adverse effect on LV function in South Asians than Europeans (N-terminal-probrain natriuretic peptide β ± SE 0.09 ± 0.04, P = 0.01, vs. -0.04 ± 0.05, P = 0.4, P for HbA1c/ethnicity interaction 0.02), diastolic function (E/e' 0.69 ± 0.12, P < 0.0001, vs. 0.09 ± 0.2, P = 0.6, P for interaction 0.005), and systolic function (s' -0.11 ± 0.06, P = 0.04, vs. 0.14 ± 0.09, P = 0.1, P for interaction 0.2). Multivariable adjustment for hypertension, microvascular disease, LV mass, coronary disease, and dyslipidemia only partially accounted for the ethnic differences. Adverse LV function in diabetic South Asians could not be accounted for by poorer glycemic control or longer diabetes duration. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes and hyperglycemia have a greater adverse effect on LV function in South Asians than Europeans, incompletely explained by adverse risk factors. South Asians may require earlier and more aggressive treatment of their cardiometabolic risk factors to reduce risks of LV dysfunction.