Diabète secondaire à la fibrose kystique : simplification du dépistage et impact clinique de l’hyperglycémie

The life expectancy of people living with cystic fibrosis (CF) is increasing and is now over 50 years old in Canada.  Higher life expectancy is associated with the emergence of new secondary complications of the disease; the most important being CF-related diabetes (CFRD). Almost half of adults with CF have CFRD. It has been associated with lung function decrease, weight loss and increased morbidity. End-stage lung disease is the leading cause of death in CF, while weight loss is associated with decreased lung function. Thus, CFRD increases the risk of early mortality. It is primarily caused by a decrease in insulin secretion secondary to chronic pancreatitis. However, minimal insulin secretion is maintained, usually allowing fasting blood glucose to remain normal for a long time. Whether or not there is insulin resistance is controversial. Our research group hypothesized that in a context of low insulin secretion, a change in insulin resistance (secondary to pulmonary infection, medication, a high fat diet, etc.) can lead to glucose intolerance. An annual screening test, the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), is recommended from the age of 10. The OGTT requires fasting, venous access, and lasts for two hours. This test is widely criticized in the scientific literature, since the diagnostic thresholds are based on the risk of microvascular complications (thresholds for type 2 diabetes) and not on pulmonary complications of CF. Our research group therefore aims to study alternative screening tests for CFRD. Glycemia at 1-hour of the OGTT is currently being investigated in CF, as it is believed to be associated with clinical decline specific to CF. Our research group hypothesized that the 1-h OGTT blood glucose can predict changes in weight and lung function over several years. The work of this thesis is divided into two sections. First, we wanted to study the impact of insulin resistance on the evolution of glucose tolerance over two years and the impact of 1-h glycemia and insulin of the OGTT on the CF clinical parameters over 4 years. Secondly, a review of the literature on current and alternative CFRD screening methods was carried out. Validation studies on diabetes biomarkers were also performed in our cohort of CF patients (over 300 patients). Two cohorts of CF patients are being studied. First, the Montreal Cystic Fibrosis Cohort (MCFC) includes patients followed at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM). Established in 2004, this observational cohort includes over 300 patients with an OGTT every 12 to 24 months. Then, data from the MCFC were pooled with those of a similar cohort established in Lyon, France (150 patients). The new cohort named GLYCONE aims to study the impact of 1-h glycemia and insulin of the OGTT on the clinical course of CF patients (prospective follow-up of 4 years). The main conclusions of this thesis are:  1. Insulin resistance is implicated in the change in glucose tolerance over 2 years in our adult patients; 2. The patients of the MCFC have better lung function and a higher weight than the French patients. However, the incidence of diabetes and pre-diabetes is higher in the Canadian population; 3. The GLYCONE international cohort shows that 1-hour and 2-hour glucose levels of the OGTT do not influence the clinical course of weight and lung function over 4 years, suggesting that mechanisms occurring earlier in life allow the onset of clinical differences in blood glucose levels; 4. A scientific literature review shows that the 2-h OGTT blood glucose should remain the standard test for CFRD, since other alternatives methods have not been shown to be effective and; 5. Alternative screening biomarkers for CFRD such as glycated hemoglobin, fasting blood glucose and insulin sensitivity index do not allow us to target diabetic patients in our MCFC. However, the use of these markers could reduce the number of required annual OGTT.

Keyphrases: cystic fibrosis, diabetes, pulmonary function, weight, insulin resistance, insulin secretion, oral glucose tolerance test, screening test