A pilot study to assess utility of changes in elements of the Diabetes Impact Management Scale in evaluating diabetic patients for progressive nephropathy.

A prospective study involving the use of the Diabetes Impact Management Scale (DIMS) in individuals with diabetic nephropathy as part of an interventional study of pulsatile intravenous insulin infusion therapy is used to define the utility of repeated subjective DIMS testing. We hypothesized that repeated use of such an evaluation would correlate well with other objective end points. The DIMS was administered at baseline and 12 months for 19 participants randomized to receive either standard insulin treatment of 3 to 4 injections of insulin daily or standard insulin treatment plus an additional day per week of 3 intravenous pulses over an 8-hour period. Measures of glycemic control, renal function, hemostatic factors, hemodynamics, left ventricular mass, and function were assessed at baseline and 12 months. Of 44 questions on impact of diabetes management, only 12 (5 reflecting physical and 7 reflecting emotional status) showed significant change from baseline to 1 year. Changes in the 5 physical questions related to neurologic status correlated with stable creatinine (P = .0001), stable creatinine clearance (P = .0001), and decrease in left ventricular hypertrophy (P =.0117). Repeated use of an abbreviated, standardized subjective instrument uncovered changes in quality of life that correlated with differences in renal function and left ventricular mass over 12 months. Further use of such an instrument may help us focus treatment for maximum impact.