The prevalence of obesity in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is rising and is known to increase cardiovascular (CV) risk and mortality. However, the clinical features of adiposity are poorly described and discovery of novel associations may shed light on areas of possible intervention. We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 625 adults diagnosed with T1DM who were seen in Endocrinology between 2015-2018. These patients were stratified into 5 weight categories (normal weight, overweight, and obesity classes 1-3) then compared across various comorbidities, medication use, and metabolic parameters. Patients had a mean age of 35.2 ± 15.3 years, 53% were female, and >25% had a BMI ≥ 30. HbA1c did not significantly increase with weight. CV risk factors were more prevalent in patients with obesity (p<0.05) (Table 1). The anti-obesity medication, phentermine, was only prescribed in 3/172 patients and antidiabetic agents associated with weight loss were rarely applied to overweight individuals. Obesity combined with T1DM was associated with higher rates of metabolic disturbances and risk factors for CV disease. The sparse use of phentermine suggests suboptimal treatment of obesity in this population. Therefore, increased attention towards optimization of weight management for patients with obesity and T1DM is needed in an effort to reduce the comorbidities seen in this study.
Y. Tsushima: None. S. Kashyap: Other Relationship; Self; GI Dynamics Inc. K. Zhou: None.
