Hyperglycemia

Internalized racism (INR) is associated with metabolic abnormalities among African Caribbean women. The current study was conducted to determine if similar associations exist among Black women living in Africa. In 2003, a stratified random sample of Black adults ages > or =18 years was drawn from four high-density suburbs of the city of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. A total of 318 persons (90% of those recruited) participated. Face-to-face interviews were used to gather information on demographic variables, health history, internalized racism, anthropometric measurements and blood pressure. Internalized racism, the extent to which individuals agree with racist stereotypes about their race, was measured with a standardized questionnaire. A fasting blood sugar level was also measured for each participant. Persons with diagnosed diabetes or incomplete data (n=44) were excluded from analyses. Women (n=188) and men (n=86) did not differ significantly by age, INR score, waist circumference or fa...

Diabetes has been among the leading causes of mortality, morbidity and disability around the world. Literature indicates that patient education is vital for diabetes control and management. However, research has shown that nurses' (who are at the forefront of care) knowledge of diabetes is variable and not sufficient in the researched populations.
This study sought to identify and describe the level of diabetes knowledge and the management of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemiaamong nursing staff of a tertiary teaching hospital in South Australia.
A descriptive study design was used with structured observation to gather data on blood glucose monitoring practice and a survey to obtain information on the level of knowledge of diabetes as data collection methods. A convenience sample of nurses, who were directly involved in the provision of care for diabetic patients was observed during blood glucose monitoring and were given a questionnaire to be completed.
Approval for the study was gained from the hospital's Research Ethics Committee. The observation checklist and the survey questionnaire were scored by hand and entered into SPSS and reviewed for data entry accuracy. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Non-parametric statistics were used to compare the knowledge scores between the mentioned groups since the data were not normally distributed. Pearson product-moment coefficient was used to describe the strength and direction of correlation between selected variables.
Twenty nurses completed the questionnaire and 32 nurses were observed during their practice. The results of this study showed that the demographic data were not correlated with higher knowledge scores or higher observation scores. However, a statistically significant, positive correlation was found between hospital accreditation for blood glucose monitoring and practices score.
It is recommended that this study be replicated in other units of the hospital to see whether the same results could be achieved.

To facilitate the transition from urine ketones (acetoacetate) to capillary blood ketones (3-beta-hydroxybutyrate), we studied the correlation between these two tests. Retrospective study of all patients with blood glucose greater than or equal to 2.5 g/l on arrival in the Emergency Department. We studied the correlation between urine ketones (Clinitek 50, Bayer) and capillary blood ketones (Optium, Abbott). We then compared the relative risks (RR) of ketoacidosis and hospitalization associated with each of these tests. In 33 months, 529 adult patients with both urine and blood testing for ketones were enrolled (ketoacidosis 8%, admission rate 49%). Urine ketones scored as +, ++ and +++ corresponded to median capillary blood ketone levels of 0.5 mmol/l (IQR: 0.1-0.9), 0.7 mmol/l (IQR: 0.2-1.8) and 3 mmol/l (IQR: 1.4-5.2), respectively. RRs of ketoacidosis or hospitalization associated with blood ketones greater than or equal to 3 mmol/l were higher than those associated with +++ urine ketones: 74 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 48-88) and 2.9 (95% CI: 2.5-3) versus 31 (95% CI: 18-45) and 2 (95% CI: 1.7-2.1), respectively. In hyperglycaemic patients in the Emergency Department, a good correlation was observed between urine ketones and capillary blood ketones for low values, but a poor correlation was observed for high values. Either test can therefore be used to exclude ketosis, but the capillary blood ketones test is more accurate to confirm ketoacidosis.