Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction

Type 2 diabetes is a field of immunosuppression predisposes to infections in all its locations. The mode of revelation by degenerative or infectious complications is frequent. The aim of our work is to study the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of infections that reveal type 2 diabetes.

Material and methods

This is a retrospective study, including 35 type 2 diabetic patients, hospitalized in an Endocrinology–Diabetology department over a 6-year time period, and in whom an infectious complication was the factor revealing type 2 diabetes.

Results

The mean age of our patients was 53.7 ± 14.9 years, with a female predominance at 68.6%. The mean HbA1c at the diagnosis of diabetes was 12.5 ± 3.1%, decompensation revealed 57.14% of patients, and 62.9% of patients reported a cardinal syndrome. The infections were: skin infections in 47% (intertrigo, fungal infections in skin folds, onychomycosis, erysipelas, diabetic foot), urinary tract infections in 40% (cystitis, acute pyelonephritis), pleuropulmonary infections in 25.71% and vaginal infection in only 1 case. All of the patients received large specter antibiotic therapy, adapted to each case after the results of the antibiogram. 34.2% of patients treated by insulin alone, and 5.7% by oral antidiabetics, 34.2% were treated on combined therapy insulin + oral antidiabetic medication. Macroangiopathic complications were present in 17.14% of cases, including coronaropathy (8.57%), ischemic stroke (2.85%), peripheral arteriopathy (2.85%).

Discussion–conclusion

Infections revealing type 2 diabetes are frequent, a systematic screening for diabetes in patients with severe or recurrent infections is required.