The Article
The article that has been chosen for the analysis is called “Analysis of a sample of type 2 diabetic patients with obesity or overweight and at cardiovascular risk: A cross-sectional study in Spain” and it has been written by Lucha-López et al. (2014). Three years ago, the work was published in BMC Research Notes which is one of the famous peer-reviewed journals.
Introduction
There is a large knowledge gap associated with the treatment of type II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (Oral, 2016). In order to extend the knowledge in the field, the authors conducted research aimed at establishing links between family history, lifestyle, and the physical condition of people who have type II diabetes and face increased cardiovascular risks.
The proposed study was expected to provide knowledge helping to improve the quality of care and outcomes for such patients. In the background section of the article, the authors explain that the study needed to be conducted to provide specialists in the field with additional knowledge helping to improve the effectiveness of interventions. As for the connection between the exposure and the disease, the authors found the link between the occurrence of type II diabetes and obesity. More than that, people having a family history of the disease were more likely to have worse symptoms.
The hypotheses under investigation used by the researchers were connected to the rapid progression of the disease in patients with increased BMI and family history of diabetes. Also, the authors wanted to prove if there was a link between obesity and increased cardiovascular risks for patients with type II diabetes.
Methods
As for the methods and techniques utilized by the researchers, they collected the data based on the specific criteria. Thus, the patients included in the sample needed to suffer from type II diabetes for more than ten years, have an increased body mass index, and be older than 45. Then, a series of measurements were taken to study the health situation of the patients. The profile of each participant included family history, age, lifestyle (nutrition), and the information on the use of medications and alcohol. The data was analyzed using SPSS 16 software, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and the Mann–Whitney U test. The results of the study indicate that the family history of the disease was connected with the rapid progression of the condition.
Results
Discussing the results, the authors state that more than half of the participants had a family story of the disease which could be an important factor. Another factor touched upon in the discussion section is the regular use of drugs to control blood pressure. Having analyzed the data retrieved during the patient assessments, the authors conclude that the strategy for the multifactorial treatment of people with type II diabetes needs to be improved.
As for the particular elements which need to be paid more attention to, the authors single out proper physical activity, healthy eating, and the proper use of medicinal drugs. According to their conclusions, these parts of the treatment plan are even more critical for those patients who have a family history of the disease. The results reported by the researchers support the hypothesis and point to further studies as there is a need to confirm the results using larger samples.
Discussion
As for the strengths of the article, it needs to be highlighted that the authors used a very good strategy to choose the participants which add to the credibility of the results. Also, data analysis seems to be accurate. In reference to limitations, the study focused on the experience of adult patients with increased BMI, and it means that additional research may be needed to define whether the results are true for other groups of patients with type II diabetes.
In reference to the public health implications, the results can be used by healthcare specialists to improve the outcomes for people with diabetes as the authors provide recommendations on physical activity levels, diet, and the use of medicaments. The given article was chosen for the review due to the importance of the topic and the significance of the results. As for my personal opinion, the authors use a very precise and clear language which makes the article interesting for people of different ages and educational attainment. To continue, it is necessary to highlight that the use of various means to present the results (such as graphs and tables demonstrating correlations) also makes the work more informative, which means that the article becomes an appropriate source for other researchers.
Conclusion
In the end, the discussed article possesses significance for the field as it provides information on diabetes in patients with increased BMI and a family history of the disease which is not a thoroughly studied topic. The findings indicate that obese diabetic patients face increased cardiovascular risks, and these results could also be regarded as a call for action, encouraging diabetics and their healthcare providers to focus on prophylaxis of these complications.
References
Lucha-López, M., Lucha-López, A., Vidal-Peracho, C., Tricás-Moreno, J., Estébanez-De Miguel, E., Salavera-Bordás, C., & Hidalgo-García, C. (2014). Analysis of a sample of type 2 diabetic patients with obesity or overweight and at cardiovascular risk: A cross sectional study in Spain. BMC Research Notes, 7(48), 1-8.
Oral, E. A. (2016). Closing the knowledge gap on cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes: The EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial and beyond. Drugs in Context, 5(1), 212299.