For every 50-nmol/L increase in sex hormone binding globulin, the odds of gestational diabetes mellitus fell by 31% (odds ratio, 0.69; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.99).
Thirty two indicators for 13 medical conditions were included in the English longitudinal study of ageing: cerebrovascular disease (stroke), depression, diabetes mellitus, falls, hearing problems, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, pain management, smoking cessation, urinary incontinence, and problems with vision (cataract).
The relationship between diabetes mellitus and falling could be explained on the basis of its complications such as impaired vision due to retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy.
Xiang et al. (abstract 248) followed 60 women for up to 75 months after gestational diabetes mellitus and found a progressive fall in the acute insulin response to intravenous glucose, whereas insulin sensitivity was low at baseline and failed to decrease significantly during follow-up.
Comorbidities such as dementia, pneumonia, cardiac arrhythmias, gastrointestinal disease, and diabetes mellitus were risk factors for falling as well as the use of antidepressants and anticonvulsants.
GPs may be overlooking less obvious diabetes risk factors, and/or not considering type 2 diabetes mellitus in those who do not fall within the obvious risk categories, most particularly of low socioeconomic status.
The majority had diseases/injuries, such as: diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension and other circulatory disorders, falls, pain, and other medical problems.
In addition to diet, we investigated the following factors related to fractures according to a WHO report [ 20]: age, gender, BMI calculated as weight (kg)/height (m) squared, MMSE as a measure of cognitive function, the medical outcome study questionnaire (MOS) [ 21] for ADL, smoking, past falls, past history of apoplexy, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, renal disease and cancer.
a Includes treated diabetes mellitus, stroke, any cancer, CVD, arthritis, hypertension, 2 or more falls, emphysema.
We classified each of the 10 conditions as either general medical (cerebrovascular disease, depression, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease and pain management) or geriatric (falls, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and cataract) [ 3].
