Search

Aims/hypothesis Few large-scale prospective studies have investigated associations between relative leucocyte telomere length (rLTL) and kidney dysfunction in individuals with type 2 diabetes. We examined relationships between rLTL and incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and the slope of eGFR decline in Chinese individuals with type 2 diabetes. Methods We studied 4085 Chinese individuals with type 2 diabetes observed between 1995 and 2007 in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register with stored baseline DNA and available follow-up data. rLTL was measured using quantitative PCR. ESKD was diagnosed based on the ICD-9 code and eGFR. Results In this cohort (mean ± SD age 54.3 ± 12.6 years) followed up for 14.1 ± 5.3 years, 564 individuals developed incident ESKD and had shorter rLTL at baseline (4.2 ± 1.2 vs 4.7 ± 1.2, p n = 3521). On Cox regression analysis, each ∆∆Ct decrease in rLTL was associated with an increased risk of incident ESKD (HR 1.21 [95% CI 1.13, 1.30], p 1c, lipids, renal function and other risk factors (HR 1.11 [95% CI 1.03, 1.19], p = 0.007). Shorter rLTL at baseline was associated with rapid decline in eGFR (>4% per year) during follow-up (unadjusted OR 1.22 [95% CI 1.15, 1.30], p p = 0.024). Conclusions/interpretation rLTL is independently associated with incident ESKD and rapid eGFR loss in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Telomere length may be a useful biomarker for the progression of kidney function and ESKD in type 2 diabetes. Graphical abstract

We postulated that the increased lifetime risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in young-onset diabetes is attributable to both long disease duration and more aggressive disease. We examined whether age at diabetes diagnosis modifies the effect of diabetes duration on risk of CKD. We included 436,744 people with incident type 2 diabetes in the Hong Kong Diabetes Surveillance Database (HKDSD) and 16,979 people with prevalent type 2 diabetes in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register (HKDR). We used Poisson models to describe joint effects of age at diabetes diagnosis, diabetes duration and attained age on incidence of CKD in HKDSD. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine interaction effect of age at diabetes diagnosis and diabetes duration on risk of CKD with adjustment for confounders in HKDR. During a median follow-up of 5.3 years, 134,043 cases of CKD were recorded in the HKDSD. The incidence rate ratio for CKD comparing people of the same attained age but diagnosed with diabetes at ages 5 years apart was higher for people with a younger age at diabetes diagnosis, but decreased with increasing age at diabetes diagnosis. During a median follow-up of 6.3 years, 6500 people developed CKD in the HKDR. The increased risk of CKD with longer diabetes duration decreased with older age at diabetes diagnosis. The adjusted HR for CKD associated with 5 year increase in diabetes duration was 1.37 (95% CI 1.13, 1.65) in people with diabetes diagnosed at 20–29 years and 1.01 (95% CI 0.87, 1.18) in those diagnosed at ≥70 years. Young age at diabetes diagnosis amplified the effect of increasing diabetes duration on increased risk of CKD.

The long-term effects of metformin in individuals with type 2 diabetes who are at increased risk of severe respiratory infections are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of metformin use on the risk of first pneumonia hospitalisation and pneumonia-related death in a cohort of Chinese individuals with type 2 diabetes. We performed a retrospective analysis of a consecutive cohort of 22,638 individuals with type 2 diabetes in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register enrolled between 2001 and 2018, with follow-up until 31 December 2019. Overlap propensity-score weighting was performed to balance baseline characteristics. Of 22,638 individuals with type 2 diabetes, after excluding those who had not been prescribed any glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) and/or with eGFR ≤30 ml min−1 [1.73 m]−2 or treated by dialysis and/or treated with insulin at baseline, we identified 15,784 either prevalent or incident metformin users and 917 users of other GLDs during a mean follow-up period of 7.5 years. Overlap-weighted analysis showed an HR of 0.63 (95% CI 0.52, 0.77) for first pneumonia hospitalisation and 0.49 (95% CI 0.33, 0.73) for pneumonia-related death in metformin users vs users of other GLDs; similar observations resulted following stratification by sex and kidney function. There was also a negative association between metformin exposure over time (proportion of duration of metformin prescriptions during the total follow-up time) and pneumonia events using the penalised spline analysis. Metformin users had a lower neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio at first pneumonia hospitalisation vs non-metformin users (mean [95% CI]: 12.8 [12.1, 13.5] vs 14.8 [12.3, 17.3], p = 0.032). The rate of metformin-associated lactic acidosis was 2.5 per 100,000 person-years. The lower risk of pneumonia events was also observed among incident metformin users vs other GLD users. Long-term use of metformin was associated with reduced risk of pneumonia and pneumonia-related death among Chinese individuals with diabetes. The relevance of these results to other respiratory infections merits further investigation.

Introduction To compare glycemic variability (GV) and time in range (TIR) in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) initiated on once-daily bedtime insulin glargine 300U/ml (Gla-300) versus neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Methods This was a 24-week, open-label exploratory study with 1:1 randomization comparing patient-adjusted titration of Gla-300 (n = 23) versus NPH (n = 23) at bedtime in insulin-naïve T2D patients on maximum oral glucose-lowering drugs. The starting dose was 0.2 U/kg/day and with self-titration of one unit per week to achieve a target fasting glucose of 4.4–6 mmol/l, without hypoglycemia. Participants had masked CGM at baseline, weeks 11 and 24. The primary outcome was between-treatment differences in CGM glucose standard deviation (SD) at week 24. Results HbA1c at week 24 were similar, with 21% of Gla-300 versus 4% of NPH-treated patients achieving HbA1c

OBJECTIVES: There is very limited information about glycemic control after discharge from the ICU. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of hypoglycemia in ICU survivors with type-2 diabetes and determine whether hypoglycemia is associated with cardiac arrhythmias. DESIGN: Prospective, observational, two-center study. Participants underwent up to 5 days of simultaneous blinded continuous interstitial glucose monitoring and ambulatory 12-lead electrocardiogram monitoring immediately after ICU discharge during ward-based care. Frequency of arrhythmias, heart rate variability, and cardiac repolarization markers were compared between hypoglycemia (interstitial glucose ≤ 3.5 mmol/L) and euglycemia (5-10 mmol/L) matched for time of day. SETTING: Mixed medical-surgical ICUs in two geographically distinct university-affiliated hospitals. PATIENTS: Patients with type-2 diabetes who were discharged from ICU after greater than or equal to 24 hours with greater than or equal to one organ failure and were prescribed subcutaneous insulin were eligible. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Thirty-one participants (mean ± sd, age 65 ± 13 yr, glycated hemoglobin 64 ± 22 mmol/mol) were monitored for 101 ± 32 hours post-ICU (total 3,117 hr). Hypoglycemia occurred in 12 participants (39%; 95% CI, 22-56%) and was predominantly nocturnal (40/51 hr) and asymptomatic (25/29 episodes). Participants experiencing hypoglycemia had 2.4 ± 0.7 discrete episodes lasting 45 minutes (interquartile range, 25-140 min). Glucose nadir was less than or equal to 2.2 mmol/L in 34% of episodes. The longest episode of nocturnal hypoglycemia was 585 minutes with glucose nadir less than 2.2 mmol/L. Simultaneous electrocardiogram and continuous interstitial glucose monitoring recordings were obtained during 44 hours of hypoglycemia and 991 hours of euglycemia. Hypoglycemia was associated with greater risk of bradycardia but did not affect atrial or ventricular ectopics, heart rate variability, or cardiac repolarization. CONCLUSIONS: In ICU survivors with insulin-treated type-2 diabetes, hypoglycemia occurs frequently and is predominantly nocturnal, asymptomatic, and prolonged.

We aimed to describe trends in rates of hospitalisation for lower extremity amputation (LEA) and 1 year mortality rates after LEA in people with diabetes in Hong Kong between 2001 and 2016.The Hong Kong Diabetes Surveillance Database is a territory-wide population-based diabetes cohort (N = 770,078) identified from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority electronic medical system. We identified LEA events using ICD-9 procedure codes and 1 year mortality after LEA from linkage to the Hong Kong Death Registry. Joinpoint regression models were used to describe the trends.Between 2001 and 2016, 6113 hospitalisations for LEAs in men and 4149 in women were recorded in the Hong Kong Diabetes Surveillance Database. The rates of minor LEAs declined by 48.6% (average annual per cent change [AAPC]: -3.8; 95% CI -5.7, -1.9) in men and by 59.5% (AAPC: -6.3; 95% CI -10.6, -1.8) in women. The rates of major LEAs declined by 77.9% (AAPC: -8.0; 95% CI -9.6, -6.5) in men and by 79.3% (AAPC: -10.4; 95% CI -13.1, -7.6) in women. The cumulative 1 year mortality rates after minor and major LEAs were 18.5% and 41.8% in men, and 21.3% and 42.0% in women, respectively, for the whole period. No change was detected in 1 year mortality rates during the surveillance in both sexes.Although hospitalisation rates for LEAs have declined overall in people with diabetes, there were no improvements in 1 year mortality rates after LEA. Continuous efforts are needed to further prevent LEAs and improve the survival rate of people undergoing LEAs. Graphical abstract.

Aims/hypothesis Infection is an under-recognised but important complication in people with diabetes. Studies on temporal trends in incidence of infection in this population are limited. We report the trends in infection-related hospitalisation in people with diabetes and compared hospitalisation rates between people with and without diabetes in Hong Kong. Methods Hospital admissions with infection, including pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis, kidney infection, urinary tract infection, cellulitis, osteomyelitis, foot infection and sepsis, listed as principal diagnosis occurring between 2001 and 2016 were identified from people with diabetes in the electronic medical record system of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority. Data on hospitalisation for a subset of these infections in the general population between 2007 and 2016 were obtained from the Department of Health. The number of people with diabetes ranged between 117,322 in 2001 and 570,929 in 2016, and the number without diabetes ranged between 5,242,614 in 2007 and 5,593,153 in 2016. Joinpoint regression was used to describe the trends. Results In people with diabetes, over a period of 16 years, the age-standardised annual rates of hospitalisation decreased for tuberculosis but increased for influenza; rates of hospitalisation for pneumonia increased up until 2004/2005 and declined in men and stabilised in women. The rates of hospitalisation for most infection types were unchanged or increased in the 20–44 year and 45–64 year age groups and decreased in those aged 65 years or above. Trends for most of the infections were similar when comparing sexes. Between 2007 and 2016, the rate ratios of hospitalisation for most infection types between people with and without diabetes were stable, and the rate ratios remained higher in people with diabetes, ranging from 1.3–1.4 for pneumonia to 3.2–4.9 for kidney infections in 2016 compared with non-diabetic individuals. Conclusions/interpretation Despite advances in medical care, hospitalisation due to infections remains a major healthcare burden in people with diabetes. Graphical abstract Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00125-020-05286-2) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.

Background Nationwide studies on contemporary trends in incidence of diabetes-related complications in Asia are lacking. We describe trends in incident coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, heart failure, hyperglycaemic crisis, and lower-extremity amputation (LEA) in people with diabetes in Hong Kong between 2001 and 2016. Methods The Hong Kong Diabetes Surveillance Database (HKDSD) is a territory-wide diabetes cohort identified from Hong Kong Hospital Authority electronic medical record system. We identified events of CHD, stroke, heart failure and hyperglycaemic crisis using hospital principal diagnosis codes at discharge and that of LEA using inpatient procedure codes. We used Joinpoint regression analysis to describe incidence trends by age and sex. Results Between 2001 and 2016, a total of 390,071 men and 380,007 women aged 20 years or older with diabetes were included in the HKDSD. Event rates of CHD, stroke, heart failure, hyperglycaemic crisis and LEA declined by 69.4% (average annual percent change: − 7.6, 95% CI − 10.2, − 5.0), 70.3% (− 8.7, 95% CI − 9.8, − 7.5), 63.6% (− 6.4, 95% CI − 8.0, − 4.7), 59.1% (− 6.6, 95% CI − 12.4, − 0.44), and 67.5% (− 5.8, 95% CI − 7.2, − 4.4), in men and by 77.5% (− 9.9, 95% CI − 11.8, − 7.9), 74.5% (− 9.0, 95% CI − 9.6, − 8.4), 65.8% (− 7.0, 95% CI − 8.0, − 6.0), 81.7% (− 8.5, 95% CI − 10.5, − 6.5), and 72.7% (− 9.1. 95% CI − 12.2, − 5.8) in women, respectively, over a 16-year period in people with diabetes in Hong Kong. Joinpoint analysis identified greater declines in event rates of the five diabetes-related complications in the earlier one-third of study period and slowed down but remained significant until 2016. Event rates decreased for all age groups above 45 years for both sexes. There was no significant change in event rates in the group aged 20–44 years except for decline in hyperglycaemic crisis. Conclusions The event rates of diabetes-related complications have declined substantially with no evidence of stabilization or increase in Hong Kong up to 2016. Improvements in outcome were observed for all age subgroups but not in young people with diabetes, calling for urgent action to improve quality of care to prevent complications in young people at risk.

Aims/hypothesis We examined the effect of a standardised sympathetic stimulus, incremental adrenaline (epinephrine) infusion on cardiac repolarisation in individuals with type 1 diabetes with normal autonomic function, subclinical autonomic neuropathy and established autonomic neuropathy. Methods Ten individuals with normal autonomic function and baroreceptor sensitivity tests (NAF), seven with subclinical autonomic neuropathy (SAN; normal standard autonomic function tests and abnormal baroreceptor sensitivity tests); and five with established cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN; abnormal standard autonomic function and baroreceptor tests) underwent an incremental adrenaline infusion. Saline (0.9% NaCl) was infused for the first hour followed by 0.01 μg kg−1 min−1 and 0.03 μg kg−1 min−1 adrenaline for the second and third hours, respectively, and 0.06 μg kg−1 min−1 for the final 30 min. High resolution ECG monitoring for QTc duration, ventricular repolarisation parameters (T wave amplitude, T wave area symmetry ratio) and blood sampling for potassium and catecholamines was performed every 30 min. Results Baseline heart rate was 68 (95% CI 60, 76) bpm for the NAF group, 73 (59, 87) bpm for the SAN group and 84 (78, 91) bpm for the CAN group. During adrenaline infusion the heart rate increased differently across the groups (p = 0.01). The maximum increase from baseline (95% CI) in the CAN group was 22 (13, 32) bpm compared with 11 (7, 15) bpm in the NAF and 10 (3, 18) bpm in the SAN groups. Baseline QTc was 382 (95% CI 374, 390) ms in the NAF, 378 (363, 393) ms in the SAN and 392 (367, 417) ms in the CAN groups (p = 0.31). QTc in all groups lengthened comparably with adrenaline infusion. The longest QTc was 444 (422, 463) ms (NAF), 422 (402, 437) ms (SAN) and 470 (402, 519) ms (CAN) (p = 0.09). T wave amplitude and T wave symmetry ratio decreased and the maximum decrease occurred earlier, at lower infused adrenaline concentrations in the CAN group compared with NAF and SAN groups. AUC for the symmetry ratio was different across the groups and was lowest in the CAN group (p = 0.04). Plasma adrenaline rose and potassium fell comparably in all groups. Conclusions/interpretation Participants with CAN showed abnormal repolarisation in some measures at lower adrenaline concentrations. This may be due to denervation adrenergic hypersensitivity. Such individuals may be at greater risk of cardiac arrhythmias in response to physiological sympathoadrenal challenges such as stress or hypoglycaemia.

Aims/hypothesis Hypoglycaemia is a common side effect of insulin and some other antihyperglycaemic agents used to treat diabetes. Severe hypoglycaemia has been associated with adverse cardiovascular events in trials of intensive glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes. The relationship between non-severe hypoglycaemic episodes (NSHEs) and severe hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetes has been documented. However, an association between more frequent NSHEs and cardiovascular events has not been verified. This post hoc analysis of the LEADER (Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcome Results) trial aimed to confirm whether there is an association between NSHEs and severe hypoglycaemic episodes in individuals with type 2 diabetes. In addition, the possible association between NSHEs and major adverse cardiac events (MACE), cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality was investigated. Methods LEADER was a double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled trial that found that liraglutide significantly reduced the risk of MACE compared with the placebo. In this post hoc analysis, we explored, in all LEADER participants, whether the annual rate of NSHEs (defined as self-measured plasma glucose Results We demonstrate that there is an association between NSHEs (2–11 NSHEs per year and ≥12 NSHEs per year) and severe hypoglycaemic episodes (unadjusted HRs 1.98 [95% CI 1.43, 2.75] and 5.01 [95% CI 2.84, 8.84], respectively), which was consistent when baseline characteristics were accounted for. Additionally, while no association was found between participants with 2–11 NSHEs per year and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, higher rates of NSHEs (≥12 episodes per year) were associated with higher risk of MACE (HR 1.50 [95% CI 1.01, 2.23]), cardiovascular death (HR 2.08 [95% CI 1.17, 3.70]) and overall death (HR 1.80 [95% CI 1.11, 2.92]). Conclusions/interpretation The analysis of data from the LEADER trial demonstrated that higher rates of NSHEs were associated with both a higher risk of severe hypoglycaemia and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, irrespective of the cause of this association, it is important that individuals with high rates of hypoglycaemia are identified so that the potentially increased risk of cardiovascular events can be managed and steps can be taken to reduce NSHEs. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01179048). Graphical abstract

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of the study was to describe trends in all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates in Hong Kong Chinese people with diabetes from 2001 to 2016.METHODS: The Hong Kong Diabetes Surveillance Database (HKDSD) is a territory-wide diabetes cohort identified from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority electronic medical record system. Deaths between 2001 and 2016 were identified from linkage to the Hong Kong Death Registry. We used Joinpoint regression analysis to describe mortality patterns among people with diabetes by age and sex, and standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) to compare all-cause mortality rates in people with and without diabetes.RESULTS: Between 2001 and 2016, a total of 390,071 men and 380,007 women aged 20 years or older with diabetes were included in the HKDSD. There were 96,645 deaths among men and 88,437 deaths among women. Mortality rates for all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer among people with diabetes declined by 52.3%, 72.2% and 65.1% in men, respectively, and by 53.5%, 78.5% and 59.6% in women, respectively. Pneumonia mortality rates remained stable. The leading cause of death in people with diabetes has shifted from cardiovascular disease to pneumonia in the oldest age group, with cancer remaining the most common cause of death in people aged 45-74 years. The all-cause SMRs for men declined from 2.82 (95% CI 2.72, 2.94) to 1.50 (95% CI 1.46, 1.54), and for women, they declined from 3.28 (95% CI 3.15, 3.41) to 1.67 (95% CI 1.62, 1.72). However, among people aged 20-44 years, the declines in all-cause mortality rates over the study period were not statistically significant for both men (average annual per cent change [AAPC]: -3.2% [95% CI -7.3%, 1.0%]) and women (AAPC: -1.2% [95% CI -6.5%, 4.4%]). The SMRs in people aged 20-44 years fluctuated over time, between 7.86 (95% CI 5.74, 10.5) in men and 6.10 (95% CI 3.68, 9.45) in women in 2001, and 4.95 (95% CI 3.72, 6.45) in men and 4.92 (95% CI 3.25, 7.12) in women in 2016.CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Absolute and relative mortality has declined overall in people with diabetes in Hong Kong, with less marked improvements in people under 45 years of age, calling for urgent action to improve care in young people with diabetes.

Background Previous studies suggest gliclazide is metabolised primarily by CYP2C19 rather than CYP2C9, unlike other sulphonylureas. CYP2C19 *2 and *3 polymorphisms are more common in Asians. Methods We investigated the effect of CYP2C19 polymorphisms on gliclazide pharmacokinetics in 15 healthy male Chinese subjects after a single 80mg oral dose. Results In CYP2C19 poor metabolisers (*2/*2, n=4), plasma area-under-the-curve was higher by nearly two-fold compared with intermediate metabolisers (*2 and *3 heterozygotes, n=7) and extensive metabolisers (*1/*1, n=4) (p

BackgroundThe clinical predictors and prognosis of heart failure (HF) by categories of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) have not been well studied in people with diabetes. In a retrospective cohort of Chinese with type 2 diabetes, we examined 1) clinical factors associated with incident decompensated HF, and 2) mortality post-HF, stratified by LVEF.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of the Hong Kong Diabetes Register comprising 23,348 people with type 2 diabetes without history of HF enrolled between 1993–2015, followed for incident decompensated HF until 2017. Heart failure subtypes were defined according to LVEF on echocardiography. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify clinical factors associated with incident HF versus no HF, stratified by HF subtypes. All-cause mortality rates were compared by HF subtypes.ResultsOver median follow-up of 7.1 years from enrolment, 1,195 (5.1%) people developed decompensated HF. Among 611 (51.1%) people with echocardiography, 24.1% had HF with reduced LVEF (HFrEF) (LVEF vs 26.9%,p = 0.034) and HFrEF (vs 31.3%,p vs 71.0%,p = 0.38), but similar to HFrEF group (vs 55.8%,p = 0.651).ConclusionsIn Chinese with type 2 diabetes, HFpEF was the predominant HF subtype. One-year mortality following decompensated HF was lowest in HFpEF group but 10-year mortality was similar between HFpEF and HFrEF.

Sulfonylureas (SUs) are predominantly metabolized by cytochrome p450 2C9 (CYP2C9) and cytochrome p450 2C19 (CYP2C19) enzymes. CYP2C9 polymorphisms are associated with greater treatment response and hypoglycemic risk in SU users. However, there are no large scale pharmacogenetic studies investigating the effect of loss-of-function alleles CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3, which occur frequently in East Asians. Retrospective pharmacogenetic analysis was performed in 11,495 genotyped patients who were enrolled in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register between 1995 and 2017, with follow-up to December 31, 2019. The associations of CYP2C19 polymorphisms with SU treatment failure, early HbA1c response, and severe hypoglycemia were analyzed by Cox regression or logistic regression assuming an additive genetic model. There were 2341 incident SU users that were identified (mean age 59 years, median diabetes duration 9 years), of which 324 were CYP2C19 poor metabolizers (CYP2C19 *2/*2 or *2/*3 or *3/*3). CYP2C19 poor metabolizers had lower risk of SU treatment failure (hazard ratio 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72-0.97, P = 0.018) and were more likely to reach the HbA1c treatment target

Summary Background To our knowledge, no previous study has examined the inter-relationship between frailty, dysglycaemia, and mortality in frail older adults with type 2 diabetes who are on insulin therapy. We used continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to profile this patient population and determine the prognostic value of CGM metrics. We hypothesised that incremental frailty was associated with increased hypoglycaemia or time below range (TBR). Methods HARE was a multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study with mortality hazard analysis carried out in four hospitals in Hong Kong. Eligible participants were community-living adults aged 70 years and older; had had type 2 diabetes for 5 years or more; were on insulin therapy; were frail; and were not hospitalised at the time of frailty assessment and CGM recording. Glucose control was characterised according to the Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes 2019 international consensus clinical targets. Frailty index was computed, and comprehensive frailty assessments and targeted serum metabolic profiling were performed. The Jonckheere-Terpstra test for trend was used to analyse frailty index tertiles and variables. Inter-relationships between CGM metrics and frailty, glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and serum albumin were characterised using adjusted regression models. Survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard modelling were performed. Findings Between July 25, 2018, and Sept 27, 2019, 225 participants were recruited, 222 of whom had CGMs fitted and 215 of whom had analysable CGM data (190 were frail, 25 were not frail). Incremental frailty was associated with older age, greater HbA1c, worse renal function, and history of stroke. Eight of 11 CGM metrics were significantly associated with frailty. Decreased time in range (TIR; glucose concentration 3·9–10·0 mmol/L) and increased time above range (TAR) metrics were strongly correlated with increased frailty and hyperglycaemia, whereas TBR metrics were marginally or not different between frailty levels. Glucose-lowering agents did not significantly affect regression estimates. In patients with HbA1c of 7·5% or more, reduced serum albumin was associated with level 2 TAR (glucose concentration >13·9 mmol/L) and dysglycaemia. During a median follow-up of 28·0 months (IQR 25·3–30·4), increased level 2 TAR was predictive of mortality explainable by frailty in the absence of detectable interaction. Each 1% increment of level 2 TAR was associated with 1·9% increase in mortality hazard. Interpretation In older adults with type 2 diabetes who are on insulin therapy, incremental frailty was associated with increased dysglycaemia and hyperglycaemia rather than hypoglycaemia. Mortality hazard was increased with severe hyperglycaemia. Future clinical studies and trials targeting actionable CGM metrics highlighted in this study could translate into improved care and outcomes. Funding Health and Medical Research Fund, Food and Health Bureau, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.

BackgroundDiabetes is associated with increased risk of respiratory infections. Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibition with anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory effects may reduce pneumonia risk. Prior studies did not account for time-varying and cumulative exposure to RAS inhibitors (RASi), with short follow-up periods, nor compared angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) use in Asians. We investigated the association of long-term use of RASi with risk of pneumonia and related death in Chinese people with diabetes using electronic medical record (EMR) data.MethodsThis was a prospective analysis of EMR with overlap propensity-score weighting of a territory-wide cohort (n=252,616, 1.7 million person-years) and a register-based cohort (n=13,017, 0.1 million person-years) in Hong Kong. We compared new-users of RASi (ACEi/ARBs) following baseline assessment with non-RASi users and new-users of calcium-channel blockers as active comparator. The main outcome was first hospitalization and death from pneumonia. ResultsAmongst 252,616 patients with diabetes in the population-based cohort (mean age=61.0 [SD=12.2] years), 73,161 were new-ACEi-only users; 20,907 new-ARBs-only users; 38,778 ACEi/ARBs users; and 119,770 never-ACEi/ARBs users. Over a mean follow-up period of 6.7 years, 5.2% (n=13,057) of patients had pneumonia and 2.2% (n=5,480) died with pneumonia. Compared with non-RASi use, time-varying RASi exposure was associated with reduced risk of pneumonia (hazard ratio, HR, 95% CI): 0.78 (0.75-0.82) and pneumonia-related death (HR=0.49, 0.46-0.53). The respective HRs for ARBs-only were 0.70 (0.62-0.78) and 0.41 (0.33-0.52) and that of ACEi-only were 0.98 (0.91-1.05) and 0.77 (0.68-86). In the Aalen-additive hazards model, the effect of RASi use was time-invariant for pneumonia (P=0.340) and time-varying for related death (P

Diabetes among working population brings to society concerns on productivity and social welfare cost, in addition to healthcare burden. While lower socio-economic status has been recognised as a risk factor of diabetes; occupation, compared with other socio-economic status indicators (e.g., education and income), has received less attention. There is some evidence from studies conducted in Europe that occupation is associated with diabetes risk, but less is known in Asia, which has different organisational cultures and management styles from the West. This study examines the association between occupation and diabetes risk in a developed Asian setting, which is experiencing an increasing number of young onset of diabetes and aging working population at the same time. This is a cross-sectional study of working population aged up to 65 with data from a population-based survey collecting demographic, socio-economic, behavioural and metabolic data from Hong Kong residents, through both self-administered questionnaires and clinical health examinations (1,429 participants). Non-skilled occupation was found to be an independent risk factor for diabetes, with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.38 (p < 0.001) and adjusted OR of 2.59 (p = 0.022) after adjusting for demographic, behavioural and metabolic risk factors. Older age (adjusted OR = 1.08, p < 0.001), higher body mass index (adjusted OR = 1.23, p < 0.001) and having hypertriglyceridemia (adjusted OR = 1.93, p = 0.033) were also independently associated with diabetes. Non-skilled workers were disproportionately affected by diabetes with the highest age-standardized prevalence (6.3%) among all occupation groups (4.9%-5.0%). This study provides evidence that non-skilled occupation is an independent diabetes risk factor in a developed Asian setting. Health education on improving lifestyle practices and diabetes screening should prioritise non-skilled workers, in particular through company-based and sector-based diabetes screening programmes. Diabetes health service should respond to the special needs of non-skilled workers, including service at non-office hour and practical health advice in light of their work setting.

Aims To investigate association between skin autofluorescence (SAF) and cardiovascular events (CVE) and assess its predictive value in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Materials and methods SAF was measured non-invasively in 3806 Chinese adults with T2D between 2016 and 2019 with CVE as primary endpoint and individual components as secondary endpoints. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine associations between SAF and endpoints with adjustment for conventional risk factors. C-statistic, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and net reclassification improvement (NRI) were performed to evaluate SAF's predictive value. Results During a median 1.8 (interquartile range, 1.2–3.1) years of follow-up, 172 individuals experienced CVE. Multivariate Cox model showed that SAF was independently associated with CVE (HR 1.18 per SD, 95% CI [1.02, 1.37]), coronary heart disease (HR 1.29 per SD, 95% CI [1.02, 1.63]), and congestive heart failure (HR 1.53 per SD, 95% CI [1.14, 2.05]). SAF yielded additional value on CVE risk stratification with enhanced IDI (95% CI) (0.023 [0.001, 0.057]) and continuous NRI (0.377 [0.002, 0.558]) over traditional risk factors. Conclusions Higher SAF was independently associated with CVE in Chinese adults with T2D and yielded incremental predictive information for CVE. SAF has potential as a prognostic maker for CVE.

Patients with moderate-to-advanced diabetic kidney disease (DKD) are at high risk of hypoglycemia. There are few studies evaluating personal continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) use in this group. We investigated whether flash glucose monitoring (FGM) was effective in reducing hypoglycemia compared with standard self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3b-5 (non-dialysis). This was a single-centre, parallel-group randomised clinical trial of 94 adults with diabetes and CKD [G3b (n=36), G4 (n=44) and G5 (n=14)] and a history of hypoglycemia. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to FGM or SMBG for 16 weeks. Both groups received structured education on hypoglycemia and monthly reviews by healthcare professionals. Blinded CGM was performed at baseline and end of study in both groups. Patients were aged (mean±SD) 65.4±9.0 years with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 26.1±9.6 ml/min/1.73m2, HbA1c 7.4±0.8% and median duration of diabetes for 20 years. 93 patients had type 2 diabetes and 99% were on insulin. After 16 weeks, percentage time Disclosure J. Ling: None. J. K. Ng: None. R. C. Ma: Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Medtronic, Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Tricida, Inc. A. P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Lilly Diabetes, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Sanofi, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Aptorum. A. Luk: None. C. Szeto: None. J. C. Chan: Consultant; Self; Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, MSD Corporation, Sanofi, Other Relationship; Self; Asia Diabetes Foundation, GemVCare, Research Support; Self; Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Hua Medicine, Lilly Diabetes, Merck KGaA. E. Chow: Research Support; Self; Medtronic, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi-Aventis. Funding Hong Kong College of Physicians; University Grants Committee Research Matching Grant Scheme

Skin autofluorescence (SAF), a non-invasive measure of the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in skin collagen, is associated with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR). We aimed to investigate whether SAF can identify individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at high-risk of renal function decline. A total of 3,806 Chinese with T2D had SAF measured between 2016 to 2019. The primary endpoint was incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) or ≥40% decline in eGFR relative to baseline. The secondary endpoint was the annual change in eGFR during follow-up. A Cox proportional hazard model was used for the primary endpoint, and linear mixed-effects model with random intercept and slope for eGFR slope and the association between SAF and rate of eGFR change. People with prevalent ESKD were excluded. Mean ± SD age was 60.4 ± 10.4 years, with mean ± SD eGFR 81.5 ± 22.9 ml/min/1.73 m2; median (interquartile range [IQR]) UACR was 2.2 (0.8-9.6) mg/mmol; and median eGFR slope was -2.18 ml/min/1.73 m2/year. During a median (IQR) 1.76 (1.13-3.13) years of follow-up, 219 experienced the primary endpoint. SAF was associated with increased risk of progression of kidney disease (adjusted hazard ratio 1.16 per SD, 95% CI [1.01, 1.33]), even after adjustment for established risk factors including eGFR and UACR. SAF was identified as an independent determinant of rate of eGFR decline (adjusted Beta coefficient -2.85 per SD, 95% CI [-3.82, -1.87]). Using the median eGFR slope as the cut-off, higher SAF was associated with faster eGFR decline (adjusted odds ratio 1.12 per SD, 95% CI [1.03, 1.22]) on multivariate logistic regression. This study demonstrates for the first time in a prospective setting that higher SAF is independently associated with increased risk of progression of kidney disease in individuals with T2D. Disclosure Q. Jin: None. A. P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Lilly Diabetes, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Sanofi, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Aptorum. A. Jenkins: Advisory Panel; Self; Abbott Diabetes, Sanofi-Aventis, Other Relationship; Self; Amgen Inc., Research Support; Self; Abbott, International Diabetes Federation, JDRF, Medtronic, Mylan N. V. J. C. Chan: Consultant; Self; Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, MSD Corporation, Sanofi, Other Relationship; Self; Asia Diabetes Foundation, GemVCare, Research Support; Self; Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Hua Medicine, Lilly Diabetes, Merck KGaA. R. C. Ma: Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Medtronic, Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Tricida, Inc. E. S. Lau: None. A. Luk: None. R. Ozaki: None. E. Chow: Research Support; Self; Medtronic, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi-Aventis. T. So: None. H. Yeung: None. K. Loo: n/a. C. K. Lim: Stock/Shareholder; Self; GemVCare Ltd. Funding Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (R4012-18)

The incidence of liver cancer and related mortality is increasing globally. Liver is a major site for glucose metabolism. People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) had increased risk of liver cancer. However, the association of glycemic burden (GB) with liver cancer in T2D remains unclear. We calculated GB using area under the curve above 5.7% of HbA1c (AUC_A1c) in patients with T2D enrolled in the prospective Hong Kong Diabetes Register established since 1995. Structured baseline data were linked to laboratory and hospitalization records in a territory-wide electronic medical record system with data censored in 2019. We performed Cox regression analysis to investigate the association of GB with incident liver cancer defined as first hospitalization with ICD9 code (155). We included 18,173 patients (50.93% male, age: 58.43±12.48 years, HbA1c: 7.58±1.66%, BMI: 25.51±4.06 kg/m2, disease duration: 20.68 ±7.63 years), who had ≥ 10 years of disease duration, > 3 years of observation, and ≥ 5 HbA1c measurements (21.98±12.33). During a median (IQR) follow up period of 10.62 (8.09, 15.88) years (218,381patient-years), 160 patients developed liver cancer with an incidence of 7.33 per 10,000 patient-years. We excluded 3 years of HbA1c values prior to incident liver cancer to avoid reverse causality. After adjusting for confounders, every 1 unit increase in AUC_A1c increased the hazard ratio (HR) of liver cancer by 1.22 (95% CI: 1.01-1.47), while AUC_A1c top quantile group had a HR of 1.78 (1.01-3.13) versus the lowest quantile group. In subgroup analysis, obese patients (BMI>25 kg/m2) had a HR of 1.34 (1.05-1.70) for liver cancer versus non-obese subjects. Amongst patients who developed liver cancer (n=1420) within 3 years of enrolment, one unit increase of AUC_A1c was associated with a HR of 1.49 (1.07-2.07) for liver cancer. GB and obesity independently increased the risk of liver cancer in T2D, emphasizing the importance of metabolic control for cancer risk reduction. Disclosure D. Mao: None. J. C. Chan: Consultant; Self; Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, MSD Corporation, Sanofi, Other Relationship; Self; Asia Diabetes Foundation, GemVCare, Research Support; Self; Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Hua Medicine, Lilly Diabetes, Merck KGaA. E. S. H. Lau: None. A. Yang: None. H. Wu: None. M. Shi: None. A. P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Lilly Diabetes, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Sanofi, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Aptorum. R. C. Ma: Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Medtronic, Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Tricida, Inc. E. Chow: Research Support; Self; Medtronic, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi-Aventis. A. Luk: None.

Introduction: The overall evidence for the long-term exposure of metformin on cardiovascular-renal (CV) outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at different stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains controversial. Methods: We conducted a prospective analysis of 14,766 Chinese patients with T2D enrolled between 2000 and 2016 observed until 31 December 2019. We compared all-cause mortality and incidence of major adverse CV events (MACE) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in prevalent and new metformin users versus other glucose lowering drugs (GLDs) users stratified by CKD stage. Results: During a mean follow-up of 9.6 years (141,310 person-years), we identified 1,798 deaths in metformin users (n=13,967) and 352 deaths in other-GLDs users (n=799). The mean daily dosage of metformin was 1,450 mg and duration of exposure was 7.8 years in CKD stage 1-2 (n=12,375). The respective figures were 1000 mg and 5.7 years in CKD stage 3-4 (n=1,592). Compared with other-GLDs, metformin exposure was associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality (All: HR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.43-0.54; CKD stage 1-2: HR=0.38, 0.33-0.44; stage 3A: HR=0.53, 0.41-0.69); MACE (All: HR=0.85, 0.72-0.99; stage 1-2: HR=0.80, 0.65-0.99; stage 3-4: HR=0.97, 0.74-1.27) and ESKD (All: HR=0.65, 0.54-0.80; stage 1-2: HR=0.53, 0.33-0.85; stage 3-4: HR=0.80, 0.63-1.02). New users of metformin (n=4,013) had reduced risk of all-cause mortality across all CKD stages; MACE in stage 1-2 and ESKD in stage 1, 2 and 3 compared with users of other oral-GLDs (n=536). Increasing duration and dosage of metformin (up to 1500 mg/day) was associated with reduced or neutral risk of MACE, ESKD and all-cause mortality. The rate of metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) was 5.39 per 100,000 patient-years in CKD stage 3-4. Conclusion: Long-term metformin use was associated with reduced or neutral risk of all-cause mortality, MACE and ESKD among Chinese patients with T2D at CKD stage 1-3 with low risk of MALA. Disclosure A. Yang: None. E. S. H. Lau: None. H. Wu: None. R. C. Ma: Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Medtronic, Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Tricida, Inc. A. P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Lilly Diabetes, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Sanofi, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Aptorum. A. Luk: None. A. W. Fu: Research Support; Self; Merck KGaA. J. C. Chan: Consultant; Self; Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, MSD Corporation, Sanofi, Other Relationship; Self; Asia Diabetes Foundation, GemVCare, Research Support; Self; Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Hua Medicine, Lilly Diabetes, Merck KGaA. E. Chow: Research Support; Self; Medtronic, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi-Aventis. Funding Asia Diabetes Foundation; Merck Pharmaceutical (HK) Limited; Chinese University of Hong Kong (to A.Y.)

Background: The roles of insulin deficiency (ID) and resistance (IR) in young patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are uncertain. We explored the associations of HOMA2 IR and HOMA2 %B using fasting C peptide and plasma glucose (FPG) with incident T2D and insulin use in Chinese aged 18-50 years. Methods: Cohort 1 included subjects without T2D in 1998-2002 with glycemic status ascertained in 2012-2013. Cohort 2 included patients with T2D (1995-2014) with documentation of glycemic deterioration (continuous insulin use or failure of 2 oral drugs). Results: In cohort 1, 62 subjects developed (T2D-progressors) and 285 did not develop T2D (T2D-non-progressors) during 10-year follow-up. In cohort 2 (n=737), 293 (39.8%) required insulin after a median follow-up period of 8.6 years. At baseline, T2D-non-progressors had lower HOMA2 IR [median (IQR) 0.77 (0.60, 1.06)] vs. 1.06 (0.81, 1.38)] and similar HOMA2 %B [84.3 (72, 111.5) vs. 85.1 (75.6, 100.7)] compared with T2D-progressors. Non-insulin-requiring T2D patients had lower HOMA2 IR [1.47 (1.02, 2.11) vs. 1.76 (1.19, 2.42)] and higher HOMA2 %B [62.4 (39.4, 87.4) vs. 45.4 (25.8, 71.8)] than insulin-requiring patients. When stratified by median values and using low HOMA2 %B plus low HOMA2 IR as referent, subjects with high HOMA2 %B plus high HOMA2 IR had age and sex-adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) of 2.47 (1.28, 4.93) and those with low HOMA2% B plus high HOMA2 IR had 5.27 (2.27, 12.84) of incident T2D. In the T2D cohort, using high HOMA2 %B plus low HOMA2 IR as referent, the hazard ratio (95% CI) for insulin use increased with low HOMA2 %B [2.18 (1.47, 3.23)], high HOMA2 IR [2.45 (1.64, 3.64)] and low HOMA2 %B plus high HOMA2 IR [4.25 (2.82, 6.41)] adjusted for age, sex and disease duration. These associations were attenuated after adjusting for obesity, FPG, HbA1c and TG/HDL-C. Conclusions: In young to middle-aged Chinese, progressive worsening in IR and ID contribute to onset of T2D and insulin requirement, which can be attenuated by early control of metabolic factors. Disclosure B. Fan: None. E. Chow: Research Support; Self; Medtronic, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi-Aventis. R. C. Ma: Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Medtronic, Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Tricida, Inc. A. Luk: None. J. C. Chan: Consultant; Self; Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, MSD Corporation, Sanofi, Other Relationship; Self; Asia Diabetes Foundation, GemVCare, Research Support; Self; Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Hua Medicine, Lilly Diabetes, Merck KGaA. H. Wu: None. M. Shi: None. A. Yang: None. C. H. Tam: None. E. S. H. Lau: None. D. Mao: None. C. K. P. Lim: Stock/Shareholder; Self; GemVCare Ltd. A. P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Lilly Diabetes, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Sanofi, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Aptorum.

Background: Diabetes predisposes to heart failure (HF). In a prospective cohort of Chinese with type 2 diabetes, we examined 1) clinical factors associated with incident HF, and 2) mortality post-HF, stratified by ejection fraction (EF). Methods: Between 1 Jun 1993 and 30 Jun 2015, 23348 patients with type 2 diabetes without history of HF were enrolled in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register, and followed for incident HF until 30 Jun 2017. HF subtypes were defined according to EF on echocardiogram: HF with reduced EF (HFrEF), EF =50%. Multivariate Cox regression was used to identify clinical factors associated with incident HF vs. no HF, by HF subtypes. 1-year and 5-year mortality rates were compared by HF subtypes. Results: Over a follow-up of 7.1 years from enrolment, 1195 patients developed HF, of whom 611 (51.1%) had an echocardiogram within 2 years of HF episode. Distribution of HF subtypes as follows: HFrEF 24.1%, HFmrEF 15.2%, HFpEF 60.7%. Old age, low GFR, albuminuria and history of coronary artery disease were associated with increased hazards for all HF subtypes. In addition, female sex, high BMI and history of neuropathy were associated with HFpEF, and low HDL cholesterol was associated with HFmrEF. Over a follow-up of 2.1 years post-HF, 760 patients (63.6%) died with a mortality rate of 189.4 per 1000 person-year. 1-year mortality rate was lower in HFpEF group (16.2%) than those with HFmrEF (vs. 26.9%, p=0.034) and HFrEF (vs. 31.3%, p Conclusions: HFpEF was the predominant HF subtype in Chinese with diabetes. Clinical factors predicting incident HF differed according to subtypes. 1-year mortality was lower in HFpEF group but mortality at 5 years were similar between HFpEF and HFrEF with a trend of higher mortality in HFmrEF group. Disclosure A. Luk: None. J. C. Chan: Consultant; Self; Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, MSD Corporation, Sanofi, Other Relationship; Self; Asia Diabetes Foundation, GemVCare, Research Support; Self; Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Hua Medicine, Lilly Diabetes, Merck KGaA. X. Zhang: None. E. Fung: None. H. Wu: None. E. S. Lau: None. A. Yang: None. E. Chow: Research Support; Self; Medtronic, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi-Aventis. A. P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Lilly Diabetes, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Sanofi, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Aptorum. R. C. Ma: Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Medtronic, Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Tricida, Inc.

Introduction: Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are renin angiotensin system inhibitors (RASi) which can reduce the proinflammatory-vasoconstricting activity of ACE/angiotensin II and enhance the anti-inflammatory-vasodilatory activity of ACE2/angiotensin 1-7. These drugs may be protective across a range of respiratory infections including bacterial and viral pneumonias. We examined long-term use of ACEi/ARBs on the risk of first pneumonia hospitalization and pneumonia-related death in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: Prospective analysis of 16,285 Chinese T2D patients with new RASi use observed between 2001 and 2019. Overlap weighting was performed to balance baseline characteristics. We used time-dependent Cox model to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of outcomes while adjusting for the time-varying covariates. Results: There were 6,379 (39.2%) ACEi-users only, 4,065 (25.0%) ARBs-users and 5,841 (35.9%) non RASi-users. During a median observation of 7.6 years, 6.1% had first pneumonia hospitalization, 1.3% died during or within one month of pneumonia hospitalization and 17.6% died from other causes. No association was observed between RASi use and first pneumonia hospitalization. However, RASi-users had lower risk for pneumonia-related death (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.35-0.76) than non-users [ACEi-users only: HR 0.53 (0.34-0.81); ARBs-users: HR 0.58 (0.32-1.04)]. We also noted reduced risk for all-cause death in RASi-users (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.54-0.67) [ACEi-users only: HR 0.61 (0.54-0.69); ARBs-users: HR 0.67 (0.57-0.79)]. Conclusions: Long-term use of RASi was associated with reduced risk of pneumonia-related death and all-cause death, but not first pneumonia hospitalization, in Chinese patients with T2D. Relevance to other respiratory infections such as coronavirus-disease 2019 (COVID-19) merits further investigation. Disclosure M. Shi: None. E. Chow: Research Support; Self; Medtronic, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi-Aventis. A. Yang: None. E. S. H. Lau: None. H. Wu: None. B. Fan: None. A. P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Lilly Diabetes, Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Sanofi, Stock/Shareholder; Self; Aptorum. A. Luk: None. R. C. Ma: Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Medtronic, Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Tricida, Inc. J. C. Chan: Consultant; Self; Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, MSD Corporation, Sanofi, Other Relationship; Self; Asia Diabetes Foundation, GemVCare, Research Support; Self; Applied Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Hua Medicine, Lilly Diabetes, Merck KGaA.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) increases the risk of many types of cancer. Dysregulation of proteasome-related protein degradation leads to tumorigenesis, while Exendin-4, a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, possesses anti-cancer effects. METHODS: We explored the co-expression of proteasome alpha 2 subunit (PSMA2) and GLP-1R in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and human cervical cancer specimens, supplemented by in vivo and in vitro studies using multiple cervical cancer cell lines. FINDINGS: PSMA2 expression was increased in 12 cancer types in TCGA database and cervical cancer specimens from patients with T2D (T2D vs non-T2D: 3.22 (95% confidence interval CI: 1.38, 5.05) vs 1.00 (0.66, 1.34) fold change, P = 0.01). psma2-shRNA decreased cell proliferation in vitro, and tumour volume and Ki67 expression in vivo. Exendin-4 decreased psma2 expression, tumour volume and Ki67 expression in vivo. There was no change in GLP-1R expression in 12 cancer types in TCGA database. However, GLP-1R expression (T2D vs non-T2D: 5.49 (3.0, 8.1) vs 1.00 (0.5, 1.5) fold change, P

Background: In many countries, cancer is replacing cardiovascular disease as a leading causes of death. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with increased risk of cancer. Patients with T2D have activated renin-angiotensin-system (RAS) although the association of RAS inhibitors (RASi) and cancer risk remains inconclusive in T2D. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study with new-user design in 253,491 Chinese patients with T2D in 2002-2019. We used longitudinal real-world-data from a territory-wide electronic medical record system and evaluated the associations of time-varying RASi use (angiotensin-converting-enzyme-inhibitor [ACEi] and angiotensin-receptor-blocker [ARBs]) with all-site cancer, diabetes-related cancers, and cancer-specific mortality with or without comparison with new-users of calcium-channel-blockers (CCBs). Findings: After excluding prevalent RASi users, amongst the eligible patients (n=253,491), 133,730 (52·8%) were new-RASi and 119,761 (47·2%) were non-RASi users during 6·5 years follow-up period. Time-varying RASi use was associated with lower risk of all-site cancer (HR=0·76, 95%CI: 0·74-0·79), diabetes-related cancer (HR=0·79, 0·75-0·84), cancer-specific mortality (HR=0·50, 0·47-0·53), and diabetes-related cancer mortality (HR=0·49, 0·45-0·54) versus non-RASi. ARBs use was associated with lower risk of cancer-specific mortality versus ACEi (HR=0·77, 0·66-0·91). Use of RASi was non-time-varying with an estimated prevention of 2·6 (95% CI: 2·3-3·0) all-site cancer events per-1000-person-years and 2·2 (95%CI: 2·0-2·5) cancer-related mortality per-1000-person-years. The reduced risk associations of RASi with all-cause and cancer-specific mortality were most evident in young adults versus new-CCBs users. Interpretation: Long-term RASi use was independently associated with lower cancer risk in T2D, including diabetes-related cancers and cancer-specific mortality, with stronger associations in users of ARBs than ACEi. Funding Information: Dr. Aimin Yang was supported by a CUHK Impact-Research-Fellowship Scheme. Declaration of Interests: JCNC has received research grants and/or honoraria for consultancy or giving lectures, from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli-Lilly, Hua Medicine, Lee Powder, Merck Serono, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer and Sanofi. APSK has received research grants and/or speaker honoraria from Abbott, Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli-Lilly, Merck Serono, Nestle, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and Sanofi. AOYL has served as a member of advisory panel for Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and Sanofi and received research support from Amgen, Asia Diabetes Foundation, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lee’s Pharmaceutical, MSD, Novo Nordisk, Roche, Sanofi, Sugardown Ltd, Takeda. None of these relationships had any influence on the content of the present manuscript. RCWM has received research funding from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and Tricida Inc. for carrying out clinical trials, and has received speaker honorarium or consultancy in advisory boards from AstraZeneca, Bayer and Boehringer Ingelheim. All proceeds have been donated to the Chinese University of Hong Kong to support diabetes research. Other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Ethics Approval Statement: Ethical approval was obtained from the Joint Chinese University of Hong Kong-New Territories East Cluster Clinical Research Ethics Committee for analysis and reporting of anonymized data.

Background The European Atherosclerosis Society Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) global registry provides a platform for the global surveillance of familial hypercholesterolaemia through harmonisation and pooling of multinational data. In this study, we aimed to characterise the adult population with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia and described how it is detected and managed globally. Methods Using FHSC global registry data, we did a cross-sectional assessment of adults (aged 18 years or older) with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of probable or definite heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia at the time they were entered into the registries. Data were assessed overall and by WHO regions, sex, and index versus non-index cases. Findings Of the 61 612 individuals in the registry, 42 167 adults (21 999 [53.6%] women) from 56 countries were included in the study. Of these, 31 798 (75.4%) were diagnosed with the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria, and 35 490 (84.2%) were from the WHO region of Europe. Median age of participants at entry in the registry was 46.2 years (IQR 34.3-58.0); median age at diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia was 44.4 years (32.5-56.5), with 40.2% of participants younger than 40 years when diagnosed. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors increased progressively with age and varied by WHO region. Prevalence of coronary disease was 17.4% (2.1% for stroke and 5.2% for peripheral artery disease), increasing with concentrations of untreated LDL cholesterol, and was about two times lower in women than in men. Among patients receiving lipid-lowering medications, 16 803 (81.1%) were receiving statins and 3691 (21.2%) were on combination therapy, with greater use of more potent lipid-lowering medication in men than in women. Median LDL cholesterol was 5.43 mmol/L (IQR 4.32-6.72) among patients not taking lipid-lowering medications and 4.23 mmol/L (3.20-5.66) among those taking them. Among patients taking lipid-lowering medications, 2.7% had LDL cholesterol lower than 1.8 mmol/L; the use of combination therapy, particularly with three drugs and with proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 inhibitors, was associated with a higher proportion and greater odds of having LDL cholesterol lower than 1.8 mmol/L. Compared with index cases, patients who were non-index cases were younger, with lower LDL cholesterol and lower prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular diseases (all p, Pfizer Independent Grant for Learning Change [16157823]; Amgen; Merck Sharp Dohme; Sanofi-Aventis; Daiichi Sankyo; Regeneron; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, UK; NIHR; Czech Ministry of Health [NU20-02-00261]; Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Austrian Heart Foundation; Tyrolean Regional Government; Gulf Heart Association, The EAS FHSC is an academic initiative that has received funding from a Pfizer Independent Grant for Learning & Change 2014 (16157823) and from investigator-initiated research grants to the European Atherosclerosis Society-Imperial College London from Amgen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Sanofi-Aventis, Daiichi Sankyo, and Regeneron. KKR acknowledges support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, UK. KID acknowledges support from a PhD Studentship from NIHR under the Applied Health Research programme for Northwest London, UK (the views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Health Service, the NIHR, or the Department of Health). TF was supported by a grant from the Czech Ministry of Health (NU20-02-00261). JG receives support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The Austrian Familial Hypercholesterolaemia registry has been supported by funds from the Austrian Heart Foundation and the Tyrolean Regional Government. The Gulf Familial Hypercholesterolaemia registry was done under the auspices of the Gulf Heart Association.

Background There are limited population-wide trend data on kidney failure and kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in people with diabetes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to report incidence trends of kidney failure and KRT and related mortality in people with diabetes in Hong Kong between 2002 and 2015. Methods We used territory-wide electronic medical records including laboratory, diagnostic and procedural data to identify people with kidney failure and KRT. We used Joinpoint regression models to estimate the average annual percent change (AAPC) of kidney failure and KRT incidence for entire study period, and annual percent change (APC) for each linear trend segment, along with 1-year and 5-year mortality rates. Findings During 4.9 million person-years of follow-up of 712,222 people with diabetes, 31,425 developed kidney failure, among whom 23.0% (n=7,233) received KRT. The incidence of kidney failure declined by 46.8% from 2002 to 2007 (APC: -11.6, 95% CI: -16.3, -6.7), then flattened from 2007 to 2015 (APC: -0.9, 95% CI: -3.1, 1.3). The incidence of KRT remained constant (AAPC: -1.6, 95% CI: -4.4, 1.2). The 1-year mortality rates declined statistically significantly after both kidney failure and KRT. The 5-year mortality rates declined after kidney failure but the decline was not statistically significant after KRT. Interpretation The findings of our study highlight the importance of developing new strategies to prevent a looming epidemic of kidney failure in people with diabetes in Hong Kong. Funding Asia Diabetes Foundation

ObjectiveThe impact of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on microbiota engraftment in patients with metabolic syndrome is uncertain. We aimed to study whether combining FMT with lifestyle modification could enhance the engraftment of favourable microbiota in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).DesignIn this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, 61 obese subjects with T2DM were randomly assigned to three parallel groups: FMT plus lifestyle intervention (LSI), FMT alone, or sham transplantation plus LSI every 4 weeks for up to week 12. FMT solution was prepared from six healthy lean donors. Faecal metagenomic sequencing was performed at baseline, weeks 4, 16 and 24. The primary outcome was the proportion of subjects acquiring ≥20% of microbiota from lean donors at week 24.ResultsProportions of subjects acquiring ≥20% of lean-associated microbiota at week 24 were 100%, 88.2% and 22% in the FMT plus LSI, FMT alone, and sham plus LSI groups, respectively (pBifidobacterium and Lactobacillus compared with FMT alone (pConclusionRepeated FMTs enhance the level and duration of microbiota engraftment in obese patients with T2DM. Combining lifestyle intervention with FMT led to more favourable changes in recipients’ microbiota and improvement in lipid profile and liver stiffness.Trial registration numberNCT03127696.

Few studies have investigated the relationship between rLTL and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes in a large prospective study, particularly in the Asian population. This study investigates the relationship between rLTL and the risk of death in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.Consecutive Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (N = 5349) from the Hong Kong Diabetes Register with stored baseline DNA and available follow-up data were studied. rLTL was measured using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Mortality and clinical outcomes were obtained based on ICD-9 codes.The mean (SD) age of the subjects was 57.5 (13.3) years and mean (SD) follow-up duration was 13.4 (5.5) years. Baseline rLTL was significantly shorter in the 1925 subjects who subsequently died compared with the remaining subjects (4.3 ± 1.2 vs. 4.7 ± 1.2, P 0.001). Shorter rLTL was associated with a higher risk of mortality (HR: 1.19 (1.14-1.23), P 0.001), which remained significant after adjusting for traditional risk factors.Shorter rLTL was significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes, independent of established risk factors. Telomere length may be a useful biomarker for mortality risk in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background Lifetime glycemic exposure and its relationship with age at diagnosis in type 2 diabetes (T2D) are unknown. Pharmacologic glycemic management strategies for young-onset T2D (age at diagnosis 3 times higher for young-onset versus usual-onset T2D (41.0 [95% confidence interval 39.1–42.8] versus 12.1 [11.8–12.3] A1C-years [1 A1C-year = 1 year with 8% average A1C]). Younger age at diagnosis was associated with faster glycemic deterioration (A1C slope over time +0.08% [0.078–0.084%] per year for age at diagnosis 20 years versus +0.02% [0.016–0.018%] per year for age at diagnosis 50 years; p-value for interaction, In a population-based cohort, Calvin Ke and colleagues investigate age at diagnosis and glycemic trajectories in Type 2 diabetes patients., Author summary Why was this study done? Young-onset type 2 diabetes (diagnosed before age 40 years) is an aggressive disease, associated with higher risks of mortality and other complications compared with usual-onset type 2 diabetes (diagnosed at age 40 years or after). Although exposure to hyperglycemia is a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes complications, the magnitude of this exposure over a lifetime has never been quantified. Because young people were excluded from randomized control trials of oral glucose-lowering drugs, it is unknown whether these drugs are effective for treating young-onset type 2 diabetes. What did the researchers do and find? Young-onset type 2 diabetes was associated with over triple the exposure to hyperglycemia from diagnosis until age 75 years compared with usual-onset type 2 diabetes. Diabetes progressed much faster in young-onset type 2 diabetes compared with usual-onset type 2 diabetes. Compared with usual-onset type 2 diabetes, people with young-onset type 2 diabetes had smaller responses to most metformin-based drug combinations and greater responses to other combinations containing sulfonylureas. What do these findings mean? Excess exposure to hyperglycemia and rapid disease progression in young-onset T2D call for better treatment strategies. The differential responses to oral glucose-lowering drugs between young- and usual-onset T2D suggest that better disease classification could guide personalized therapy.

OBJECTIVE Several studies support potential links between relative leukocyte telomere length (rLTL), a biomarker of biological aging, and type 2 diabetes. This study investigates relationships between rLTL and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Consecutive Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (N = 5,349) from the Hong Kong Diabetes Register for whom DNA obtained at baseline was stored and follow-up data were available were studied. rLTL was measured by using quantitative PCR. CVD was diagnosed on the basis of ICD-9 code. RESULTS Mean follow-up was 13.4 years (SD 5.5 years). rLTL was correlated inversely with age, diabetes duration, blood pressure, HbA1c, and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), and positively with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (all P < 0.001). Subjects with CVD at baseline had a shorter rLTL (4.3 ± 1.2 ΔΔCt) than did subjects without CVD (4.6 ± 1.2 ΔΔCt) (P < 0.001). Of the 4,541 CVD-free subjects at baseline, the 1,140 who developed CVD during follow-up had a shorter rLTL (4.3 ± 1.2 ΔΔCt) than those who remained CVD-free after adjusting for age, sex, smoking, and albuminuria status (4.7 ± 1.2 ΔΔCt) (P < 0.001). In Cox regression models, shorter rLTL was associated with higher risk of incident CVD (for each unit decrease, hazard ratio 1.252 [95% CI 1.195–1.311], P < 0.001), which remained significant after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, HbA1c, eGFR, and ACR (hazard ratio 1.141 [95% CI 1.084–1.200], P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS rLTL is significantly shorter in patients with type 2 diabetes and CVD, is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors, and is independently associated with incident CVD. Telomere length may be a useful biomarker for CVD risk in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background The clinical utility of personal genomic information in identifying individuals at increased risks for dyslipidemia and cardiovascular diseases remains unclear. Methods We used data from Biobank Japan (n = 70,657–128,305) and developed novel East Asian-specific genome-wide polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for four lipid traits. We validated (n = 4271) and subsequently tested associations of these scores with 3-year lipid changes in adolescents (n = 620), carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in adult women (n = 781), dyslipidemia (n = 7723), and coronary heart disease (CHD) (n = 2374 cases and 6246 controls) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. Results Our PRSs aggregating 84–549 genetic variants (0.251 r) r − 103 P − 75) and 3-year lipid changes (1.4 × 10− 6 P β ± SE = 0.052 ± 0.002), 11.7% in TG (β ± SE = 0.111 ± 0.006), 5.8% in HDL-C (β ± SE = 0.057 ± 0.003), and 8.4% in LDL-C (β ± SE = 0.081 ± 0.004) per one standard deviation increase in the corresponding PRS. However, their predictive power was attenuated in T2D patients (0.183 r − 3 P − 10 P β ± SE = 0.011 ± 0.005, Ptrend = 0.0182). Independent of conventional risk factors, the quintile of PRSs for TC [OR (95% CI) = 1.07 (1.03–1.11)], TG [OR (95% CI) = 1.05 (1.01–1.09)], and LDL-C [OR (95% CI) = 1.05 (1.01–1.09)] were significantly associated with increased risk of CHD in T2D patients (4.8 × 10− 4 P Conclusions The PRSs derived and validated here highlight the potential for early genomic screening and personalized risk assessment for cardiovascular disease.

Objective: Diabetes is a leading cause of nontraumatic lower extremity amputation (LEA). We describe the secular trends in incidence rates of LEA and one-year mortality rates after LEA in people with diabetes in Hong Kong between 2001 and 2016. Methods: The Hong Kong Diabetes Surveillance Database (HKDSD) is a territory-wide population-based diabetes cohort identified from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority electronic medical system. We identified LEA events using ICD-9 procedure codes and that of one-year mortality after LEAs from the linkage to the Hong Kong Death Registry. We used Joinpoint regression models to describe the trends in incidence of LEAs from 2001 to 2016 and one-year mortality rates after LEAs from 2001 to 2015. Results: Between 2001 and 2016, a total of 390,071 men and 380,007 women with diabetes aged 20 years or older were included in the HKDSD, among whom 6,113 LEAs in men and 4,149 LEAs in women were recorded. The event rates of minor LEAs declined by 48.6% (average annual percent change [AAPC]: -3.8, 95% CI -5.7, -1.9) from 14.0 to 7.2 per 10,000 in men and by 59.5% (AAPC: -6.3, 95% CI -10.6, -1.8) from 7.9 to 3.2 per 10,000 in women. The rates of major LEAs declined by 77.9% (AAPC: -8.0, 95% CI -9.6, -6.5) from 19.5 to 4.3 per 10,000 in men and by 79.3% (AAPC: -10.4, 95% CI -13.1, -7.6) from 11.6 to 2.4 per 10,000 in women. The one-year mortality rates after both minor and major LEAs remained constant during the surveillance period in both sexes. The AAPC for one-year mortality rates was 1.5 (95% CI -3.0, 6.1) in men and 0.6 (95% CI -4.7, 6.1) in women after minor LEAs, and was -2.1 (95% CI -4.8, 0.6) in men and 2.6 (-1.4, 6.7) in women after major LEAs. Conclusions: Although the event rates of LEAs have declined overall in people with diabetes in Hong Kong, there was no improvement in one-year mortality rates after LEAs. Urgent action to improve the quality of care and ongoing surveillance after LEAs in people with diabetes is needed. Disclosure H. Wu: None. A. Yang: None. E.S. Lau: None. R.C. Ma: Advisory Panel; Self; AstraZeneca. Stock/Shareholder; Self; GemVCare. Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk A/S, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Tricida Inc. A.P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Sanofi. Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi. E. Chow: None. W. So: None. J.C. Chan: None. A. Luk: Research Support; Self; Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Roche Pharma. Other Relationship; Self; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

Background: There is a resurgence of interest in the role of 1-hour post-load plasma glucose (PG) in risk stratification for type 2 diabetes and a cut-off of 8.6 mmol/L has been proposed to define dysglycaemia in addition to other existing criteria of prediabetes. We examined the efficacy of 1-hour PG level in predicting future type 2 diabetes in a longitudinal community-based cohort of Hong Kong Chinese. Methods: Between 2001-2003, 489 adults without diabetes underwent 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Blood samples were collected at 0, 15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes for measurement of plasma glucose and insulin levels. Between 2012-2014, progression to diabetes was ascertained either by reviewing medical records or by repeating OGTT and HbA1c. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated to assess the discrimination of each parameter (fasting PG, 1-hour PG, 2-hour PG, disposition index) for development of diabetes. High 1-hour PG was defined using threshold of 8.6 mmol/L. Results: Over 12-year follow-up, 46 people (9.4%) developed diabetes. The area under ROC curve were 0.79 (95% CI 0.71, 0.86) for fasting PG, 0.84 (95% CI 0.78, 0.89) for 1-hour PG, 0.79 (95% CI 0.72, 0.86) for 2-hour PG, and 0.78 (95% CI 0.71, 0.85) for disposition index with no difference between each parameter. In multivariate logistic regression, high 1-hour PG was associated with new-onset diabetes with odds ratio (OR) 4.87 (95% CI 1.91, 14.1, p=0.002), independent of impaired fasting glucose (OR 2.19 [95% CI 0.87, 5.32, p=NA), impaired glucose tolerance (OR 3.69 [95% CI 1.67, 8.27, p=0.001]) and other clinical variables including age, sex, smoking, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, waist and blood pressure. Conclusions: One-hour PG is similar to fasting and 2-hour PG in prediction of type 2 diabetes. High 1-hour PG identifies people with high risk of diabetes independent of other criteria of prediabetes and clinical risk factors. Disclosure A. Luk: Research Support; Self; Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Roche Pharma. Other Relationship; Self; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. E.S. Lau: None. A.P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Sanofi. Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi. E. Chow: None. R.C. Ma: Advisory Panel; Self; AstraZeneca. Stock/Shareholder; Self; GemVCare. Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk A/S, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Tricida Inc. J.C. Chan: None.

Aim We examined the effect of spontaneous hyperglycaemia in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and without history of cardiovascular disease on heart rate variability (HRV), cardiac repolarisation and incidence of cardiac arrhythmias. Methods Thirty-seven individuals with T1DM (age 17–50 years, 19 males, mean duration of diabetes 19.3 SD(9.6) years) underwent 96 h of simultaneous ambulatory 12-lead Holter ECG and blinded continuous interstitial glucose (IG) monitoring (CGM). HRV, QT interval and cardiac repolarisation were assessed during hyperglycaemia (IG ≥ 15 mmol/l) and compared with matched euglycaemia (IG 5−10 mmol/l) on a different day, separately during the day and night. Rates of arrhythmias were assessed by calculating incidence rate differences. Results Simultaneous ECG and CGM data were recorded for 2395 hours. During daytime hyperglycaemia vs euglycaemia the mean QTc interval duration was 404 SD(21)ms vs 407 SD(20)ms, P = 0.263. T-peak to T-end interval duration corrected for heart rate (TpTendc) shortened: 74.8 SD(16.1)ms vs 79.0 SD(14.8)ms, P = 0.033 and T-wave symmetry increased: 1.62 SD(0.33) vs 1.50 SD(0.39), P = 0.02. During night-time hyperglycaemia vs euglycaemia, the mean QTc interval duration was 401 SD(26)ms vs 404 SD(27)ms, P = 0.13 and TpTend shortened: 62.4 SD(12.0)ms vs 67.1 SD(11.8)ms, P = 0.003. The number of cardiac arrhythmias was low and confined to bradycardia and isolated ectopic beats. A considerable inter-subject and diurnal variability was observed. Conclusions Hyperglycaemia in individuals with T1DM without known cardiovascular disease was not associated with clinically important cardiac arrhythmias.

Background Validated algorithms to classify type 1 and 2 diabetes (T1D, T2D) are mostly limited to white pediatric populations. We conducted a large study in Hong Kong among children and adults with diabetes to develop and validate algorithms using electronic health records (EHRs) to classify diabetes type against clinical assessment as the reference standard, and to evaluate performance by age at diagnosis. Methods We included all people with diabetes (age at diagnosis 1.5–100 years during 2002–15) in the Hong Kong Diabetes Register and randomized them to derivation and validation cohorts. We developed candidate algorithms to identify diabetes types using encounter codes, prescriptions, and combinations of these criteria (“combination algorithms”). We identified 3 algorithms with the highest sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), and kappa coefficient, and evaluated performance by age at diagnosis in the validation cohort. Results There were 10,196 (T1D n = 60, T2D n = 10,136) and 5101 (T1D n = 43, T2D n = 5058) people in the derivation and validation cohorts (mean age at diagnosis 22.7, 55.9 years; 53.3, 43.9% female; for T1D and T2D respectively). Algorithms using codes or prescriptions classified T1D well for age at diagnosis Conclusions Our validated set of algorithms accurately classifies T1D and T2D using EHRs for Hong Kong residents enrolled in a diabetes register. The choice of algorithm should be tailored to the unique requirements of each study question.

OBJECTIVE There has been a shift toward new classes of glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) in the past decade but no improvements in glycemic control or hospitalization rates due to severe hypoglycemia (SH) in previous surveys. We examined trends in GLDs use, glycemic control, and SH rate among patients with diabetes in Hong Kong, which introduced a territory-wide, team-based diabetes care model since 2000. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using population-based data from the Hong Kong Diabetes Surveillance Database, we estimated age- and sex-standardized proportion of GLD classes, mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, and SH rates in 763,809 patients with diabetes aged ≥20 years between 2002 and 2016. RESULTS Between 2002 and 2016, use declined for sulfonylureas (62.9% to 35.3%) but increased for metformin (48.4% to 61.4%) and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4is) (0.01% in 2007 to 8.3%). The proportion of patients with HbA1c of 6.0–7.0% (42–53 mmol/mol) increased from 28.6% to 43.4%, while the SH rate declined from 4.2/100 person-years to 1.3/100 person-years. The main improvement in HbA1c occurred between 2007 and 2014, decreasing from mean (SD) 7.6% (1.6) (59.5 [19.0] mmol/mol) to 7.2% (1.7) (54.8 [18.9] mmol/mol) (P < 0.001). The 20–44 years age-group had the highest proportion of HbA1c ≥9% (75 mmol/mol) and rising proportions not on GLDs (from 2.0% to 7.7%). CONCLUSIONS In this 15-year survey, the modest but important improvement in HbA1c since 2007 coincided with diabetes service reforms, increase in metformin, decrease in sulfonylureas, and modest rise in DPP-4i use. Persistently poor glycemic control and underuse of GLDs in the youngest group calls for targeted action.

OBJECTIVE Hypoglycemia has been linked to persistent increases in cardiovascular (CV) mortality in type 2 diabetes after the event. Our aim was to examine acute and downstream effects of hypoglycemia on markers of thrombosis risk and inflammation in type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Twelve individuals with type 2 diabetes with no history of CV disease and 11 age- and BMI-matched volunteers without diabetes underwent paired hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic (glucose 6 mmol/L for two 60-min periods) and hypoglycemic (glucose 2.5 mmol/L for two 60-min periods) clamps on separate occasions on day 0. Fibrin clot properties, platelet reactivity, and inflammatory markers were measured at baseline, end of and after recovery from the initial clamp, day 1, and day 7 using validated assays and electron microscopy. RESULTS Euglycemic hyperinsulinemia reduced platelet reactivity, decreased fibrin clot density, and improved fibrinolytic efficiency in both groups. Platelet reactivity and aggregation increased during acute hypoglycemia in both groups, resolving at recovery. In type 2 diabetes, clot lysis times and clot maximum absorbance increased up to day 7 (P = 0.002 and 0.001 vs. euglycemia, respectively), but clots from control subjects without diabetes showed limited changes. Fibrin network density increased Δ 1.15 ± 0.28 fibers/μm2 at day 7 after the hypoglycemic clamp (P < 0.01 for glycemic arm), whereas fibrinogen and complement C3 increased after hypoglycemia up to day 7 in type 2 diabetes only. CONCLUSIONS Antecedent hypoglycemia has acute and persistent prothrombotic effects, lasting at least 7 days, that were enhanced in individuals with type 2 diabetes. These findings identify mechanisms by which hypoglycemia might increase short- and medium-term risk of CV mortality.

Hongjiang Wu,1,2 Eric SH Lau,3 Alice PS Kong,2,4 Ronald CW Ma,2,4 Risa Ozaki,4 Kitty KT Cheung,4 Elaine Chow,4 Chiu Chi Tsang,5 Kam Piu Lau,6 Eric MT Hui,7 Wing Yee So,8 Danijela Gasevic,1,9 Sarah H Wild,1 Juliana CN Chan,2–4 Andrea Luk2–4 1Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; 2Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China; 3Asia Diabetes Foundation, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China; 4Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China; 5Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, Tai Po, Hong Kong SAR, China; 6Northern District Hospital, Fanling, Hong Kong SAR, China; 7Department of Family Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China; 8Hospital Authority Head Office, Hong Kong SAR, China; 9School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the association between educational level and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in Hong Kong Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.Patients and methods: We included 12,634 patients with type 2 diabetes who were enrolled into the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation Program between June 1, 2007, and June 30, 2017. We classified patients’ educational level into the following three groups: ≤6 years, 6–13 years, and >13years. Incident CVD events were identified using hospital discharge diagnoses. Death was identified from Hong Kong Death Register. We estimated HRs for incident CVD and all-cause mortality using Cox regression models.Results: Patients with the highest educational level were younger and had shorter diabetes duration and better glycemic control at enrollment than those with the lowest educational level. During the median follow-up of 6.2years for CVD and 6.4years for all-cause mortality, 954 CVD events and 833 deaths were recorded. HRs for CVD and all-cause mortality were 0.73 (95% CI: 0.57, 0.94) and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.94) for the highest educational level compared to the lowest educational level, after adjustment for age, sex, diabetes duration, and family history of diabetes.Conclusion: Educational level is inversely associated with the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality among Hong Kong Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Hong Kong Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes and low educational level should be given special attention for the prevention of key complications of diabetes. Keywords: socioeconomic status, educational level, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, all-cause mortality

Background Obesity, cancer and diabetes frequently coexist. The association of glycaemic variability (GV) and obesity with cancer events had not been explored in diabetes. Methods In the prospective Hong Kong Diabetes Register cohort (1995-2019), we used cox proportional hazards models to examine the risk associations of GV with all-site cancer (primary outcome) and cause-specific death (secondary outcome). We also explored the joint association of obesity and GV with these outcomes and site-specific cancer. We expressed GV using HbA1c variability score (HVS) defined as percentage of HbA1c values varying by 0.5% compared with values in preceding visit. Findings We included 15,286 patients (type 2 diabetes: n=15,054, type 1 diabetes: n=232) with ≥10 years of diabetes and ≥3 years of observation (51.7% men, age (mean±SD): 61.04±10.73 years, HbA1c: 7.54±1.63%, body mass index [BMI]: 25.65±3.92 kg/m2, all-site cancer events: n=928, cancer death events: n=404). There were non-linear relationships between HVS and outcomes but there was linearity within the high and low HVS groups stratified by the median (IQR) value of HVS (42.31 [27.27, 56.28]). In the high HVS group, the adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) of each SD of HVS was 1.15 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.26) for all-site cancer (n=874). The respective aHRs for breast (n=77), liver (n=117) and colorectal (n=184) cancer were 1.44 (1.07, 1.94), 1.37 (1.08, 1.74), and 1.09 (0.90, 1.32). In the high GV group, the respective aHRs were 1.21 (1.06, 1.39), 1.27 (1.15, 1.40), and 1.15 (1.09, 1.22) for cancer, vascular, and noncancer nonvascular death. When stratified by obesity (BMI ≥25 kg/m2), the high HVS & obese group had the highest aHRs of 1.42 (1.16, 1.73), 2.44 (1.24, 4.82), and 2.63 (1.45, 4.74) respectively for all-site, breast, and liver cancer versus the low GV & non-obese group. The respective aHRs were 1.45 (1.07, 1.96), 1.47 (1.12, 1.93), and 1.35 (1.16, 1.57) for cancer, vascular, and noncancer nonvascular death. Interpretation Obesity and high GV were associated with increased risk of all-site, breast, liver cancer, and cancer-specific death in T2D. Funding The Chinese University of Hong Kong Diabetes Research Fund

OBJECTIVE Hypoglycemia may exert proarrhythmogenic effects on the heart via sympathoadrenal stimulation and hypokalemia. Hypoglycemia-induced cardiac dysrhythmias are linked to the “dead-in-bed syndrome,” a rare but devastating condition. We examined the effect of nocturnal and daytime clinical hypoglycemia on electrocardiogram (ECG) in young people with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Thirty-seven individuals with type 1 diabetes underwent 96 h of simultaneous ambulatory ECG and blinded continuous interstitial glucose monitoring (CGM) while symptomatic hypoglycemia was recorded. Frequency of arrhythmias, heart rate variability, and cardiac repolarization were measured during hypoglycemia and compared with time-matched euglycemia during night and day. RESULTS A total of 2,395 h of simultaneous ECG and CGM recordings were obtained; 159 h were designated hypoglycemia and 1,355 h euglycemia. A median duration of nocturnal hypoglycemia of 60 min (interquartile range 40–135) was longer than daytime hypoglycemia of 44 min (30–70) (P = 0.020). Only 24.1% of nocturnal and 51.0% of daytime episodes were symptomatic. Bradycardia was more frequent during nocturnal hypoglycemia compared with matched euglycemia (incident rate ratio [IRR] 6.44 [95% CI 6.26, 6.63], P < 0.001). During daytime hypoglycemia, bradycardia was less frequent (IRR 0.023 [95% CI 0.002, 0.26], P = 0.002) and atrial ectopics more frequent (IRR 2.29 [95% CI 1.19, 4.39], P = 0.013). Prolonged QTc, T-peak to T-end interval duration, and decreased T-wave symmetry were detected during nocturnal and daytime hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS Asymptomatic hypoglycemia was common. We identified differences in arrhythmic risk and cardiac repolarization during nocturnal versus daytime hypoglycemia in young adults with type 1 diabetes. Our data provide further evidence that hypoglycemia is proarrhythmogenic.

AIM Levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs, namely, isoleucine, leucine, and valine) are modulated by dietary intake and metabolic/genetic factors. BCAAs are associated with insulin resistance and increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Although insulin resistance predicts heart failure (HF), the relationship between BCAAs and HF in T2D remains unknown. METHODS In this prospective observational study, we measured BCAAs in fasting serum samples collected at inception from 2139 T2D patients free of cardiovascular-renal diseases. The study outcome was the first hospitalization for HF. RESULTS During 29 103 person-years of follow-up, 115 primary events occurred (age: 54.8 ± 11.2 years, 48.2% men, median [interquartile range] diabetes duration: 5 years [1-10]). Patients with incident HF had 5.6% higher serum BCAAs than those without HF (median 639.3 [561.3-756.3] vs 605.2 [524.8-708.7] μmol/L; P = .01). Serum BCAAs had a positive linear association with incident HF (per-SD increase in logarithmically transformed BCAAs: hazard ratio [HR] 1.22 [95% CI 1.07-1.39]), adjusting for age, sex, and diabetes duration. The HR remained significant after sequential adjustment of risk factors including incident coronary heart disease (1.24, 1.09-1.41); blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and baseline use of related medications (1.31, 1.14-1.50); HbA1c , waist circumference, triglyceride, and baseline use of related medications (1.28, 1.11-1.48); albuminuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate (1.28, 1.11-1.48). The competing risk of death analyses showed similar results. CONCLUSIONS Circulating levels of BCAAs are independently associated with incident HF in patients with T2D. Prospective cohort analysis and randomized trials are needed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of using different interventions to optimize BCAAs levels in these patients.

Background: There are recent claims that high dietary BCAA may improve insulin resistance although this conflicts with the recommendation that low protein/BCAA diet may confer renoprotection in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3-5. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has dysregulated energy metabolism where excessive BCAA intake can be harmful. We examined the risk association of BCAA and rate of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline in a prospective T2D cohort. Method: We measured serum BCAA in 2340 adults with CKD stages 1-2 at baseline with available stored sera. By using linear regression analysis, we examined the association of serum BCAA with annual change in eGFR, which was estimated from a linear mixed model using at least three eGFR measurements from baseline until the onset of CKD or data censored on June 2017. Results: In this study cohort with mean±SD follow-up of 10.0±5.3 years (age 55.2±11.2 years, BMI 25.4±4.3 kg/m2, HbA1c 7.6±1.7%, annual change in eGFR -1.37±1.28 ml/min/1.73m2), patients with incident CKD had higher serum BCAA (median [IQR]: 622.7 [540.3-730] vs. 595.8 [518.3-680.3] µM; P Conclusions: In Chinese T2D patients with CKD stages 1-2, high serum BCAA was independently associated with a modest decline in eGFR, suggesting the renoprotective effect of a low BCAA diet may be extended to early CKD with careful monitoring. Disclosure L. Lim: Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca. Speaker's Bureau; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc. E.S. Lau: None. H. Lee: None. C.H. Tam: None. C.K. Lim: None. A. Luk: None. E. Chow: Research Support; Self; Powder Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sanofi-Aventis. R.C. Ma: Advisory Panel; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH. Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc. Stock/Shareholder; Self; GemVCare. Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca. J.C. Chan: Board Member; Self; Asia Diabetes Foundation. Consultant; Self; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Medtronic, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Sanofi-Aventis. Research Support; Self; Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Lee Powder, Lilly Diabetes, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis. Speaker's Bureau; Self; Ascensia Diabetes Care. Stock/Shareholder; Self; GemVCare. A.P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Lilly Diabetes. Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Lilly Diabetes. Speaker's Bureau; Self; Abbott. Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi. Funding Hong Kong Society of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Reproduction; Hong Kong Association for the Study of Obesity

Objective: Over two thirds of the world’s population with diabetes reside in Asia but data on time trends of diabetes incidence in this region is limited. Using population-wide data, we report trends in the incidence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Hong Kong over a 14-year period. Methods: The Hong Kong Diabetes Surveillance Database (HKDSD) hosts clinical information of people with diabetes under the care of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, a statutory body governing all public hospitals and out-patient clinics locally. Diabetes type was determined using a validated algorithm that considers both encounter codes and prescription data. Gender-specific incidence rates (per 100,000 person-year) separated by age categories were standardized to age structure of the World Health Organization population. Average annual percentage change (AAPC) was calculated using joinpoint regression analysis to describe incidence trends over time. Results: The HKDSD included 2426 cases of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and 535490 cases of T2D newly detected between 2002-2015. Among youth (age Conclusions: We observed an increase in incidence of T2D in youth and young adults and stabilization in older adults. Incidence of T1D continued to climb in youth but remained constant in adults. This study highlights the emerging problem of young-onset diabetes and calls for effective strategy for diabetes prevention in young people. Disclosure A. Luk: None. C. Ke: None. E.S. Lau: None. R.C. Ma: Advisory Panel; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH. Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc. Stock/Shareholder; Self; GemVCare. Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca. E. Chow: Research Support; Self; Powder Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sanofi-Aventis. A.P. Kong: Advisory Panel; Self; Lilly Diabetes. Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Lilly Diabetes. Speaker's Bureau; Self; Abbott. Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sanofi. J.C. Chan: Board Member; Self; Asia Diabetes Foundation. Consultant; Self; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lilly Diabetes, Medtronic, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Sanofi-Aventis. Research Support; Self; Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Lee Powder, Lilly Diabetes, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi-Aventis. Speaker's Bureau; Self; Ascensia Diabetes Care. Stock/Shareholder; Self; GemVCare. W. So: None.