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OBJECTIVE This study investigated the effects of severe hypoglycemia on risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Two nested case-control studies with age- and sex-matched control subjects and using the time-density sampling method were performed separately within a cohort of 10,411 patients with T1DM in Taiwan. The study enrolled 564 nonsurvivors and 1,615 control subjects as well as 743 CVD case subjects and 1,439 control subjects between 1997 and 2011. History of severe hypoglycemia was identified during 1 year, 1–3 years, and 3–5 years before the occurrence of the study outcomes. Conditional logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI of the study outcomes. RESULTS Prior severe hypoglycemic events within 1 year were associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality and CVD (adjusted OR 2.74 [95% CI 1.96–3.85] and 2.02 [1.35–3.01], respectively). Events occurring within 1–3 years and 3–5 years before death were also associated with adjusted ORs of 1.94 (95% CI 1.39–2.71) and 1.68 (1.15–2.44), respectively. Significant dose–gradient effects of severe hypoglycemia frequency on mortality and CVD were observed within 5 years. CONCLUSIONS Although the CVD incidence may be associated with severe hypoglycemic events occurring in the previous year, the risk of all-cause mortality was associated with severe hypoglycemic events occurring in the preceding 5 years. Exposure to repeated severe hypoglycemic events can lead to higher risks of mortality and CVD.

OBJECTIVE Diabetes may increase the risk of acute pancreatitis (AP). We aimed to further investigate whether diabetes may also adversely affect outcomes of patients with AP. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, we compared 18,990 first-attack AP with diabetes to 37,980 matched control subjects from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2009. Primary outcomes were development of severe AP, defined by a modified Atlanta classification scheme, and hospital mortality. Analyses were performed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression model with generalized estimating equations accounting for hospital clustering effect. RESULTS After baseline characteristics were adjusted, AP patients with diabetes had a higher risk of a severe attack than their nondiabetic counterparts (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.21, 95% CI 1.16–1.26). When severity criteria were analyzed individually, diabetic AP patients had a 58% higher risk of intensive care unit admission and a 30% higher risk of local complications, but a 16% lower risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, than AP patients without diabetes. The risk of organ failure at least one system) was similar between the two groups. Conversely, AP patients with diabetes were associated with a lower risk of hospital mortality (adjusted OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.65–0.91). CONCLUSIONS Although diabetes may adversely affect the disease process of AP, it seems to protect patients from AP-related mortality.