Cynthia Fritschi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Cynthia Fritschi

Diabetes, 2020

Objectives: Early cognitive impairment is common in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Subjectiv... more Objectives: Early cognitive impairment is common in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Subjective cognitive symptoms (SCS) have been associated with higher risks for early dementia and mild cognitive impairment and may be an early indication of further cognitive decline. Our goal was to identify factors related to SCS in people with T2DM to facilitate early screening for cognitive impairment in this population. Methods: A convenience sample of 115 adults with T2D was included. The cognitive symptom subscale of the Diabetes Symptom Checklist-Revised was used. Potential factors were measured using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System including depression, fatigue, and sleep. Data were analyzed using quantile regression which accounts for non-normal distribution of the dependent variable. Quantile regression was useful to examine the relationships along the continuum of SCS severity that may be missed in traditional linear regression. Results: The mean age of t...

Journal of Advanced Nursing

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Biological Research For Nursing

Objective: Fatigue is a pervasive and serious complaint among aging adults with type 2 diabetes. ... more Objective: Fatigue is a pervasive and serious complaint among aging adults with type 2 diabetes. Anecdotally, hyperglycemia was thought to cause fatigue, but prior cross-sectional analyses failed to find any relationship between glucose levels and fatigue. However, study methodology may have caused this relationship to be missed. Our aim was to use concurrent and continuous data across 5 days to examine real-time momentary relationships between glucose and fatigue levels by week, day, and time of day. Additionally, we explored how these relationships differed by sex. Method: Participants ( N = 54, 51% male, 54% non-White) wore continuous glucose monitors and wrist actigraphy into which they inputted fatigue ratings 6–8 times daily during waking hours across 5 days. Generalized estimation equation models were used to explore the relationship between glucose and fatigue when averaged by week, day, and time of day. Differences by sex were also explored. Results: HbA1c and baseline and ...

Journal of Clinical Nursing

The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing

Acta diabetologica, Jan 21, 2018

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder requiring intensive self-care to maintain optimal g... more Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder requiring intensive self-care to maintain optimal glycemic control. Sleep disturbance is common in T2D patients and likely impairs glycemic control. Our aim was to examine the relationship between sleep disturbance and self-care in adults with T2D. This study used a correlational design. Sixty-four adults with T2D were recruited. Validated instruments were used to measure self-care, subjective sleep disturbance, and covariates (e.g., diabetes distress, self-efficacy, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness). Over an 8-day period, the ActiGraph-wGT3X was used to measure objective sleep outcomes (e.g., total sleep time and number of awakenings). Bivariate correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. The mean age of the participants was 60.6 (SD 6.8) years (range 50-78), and 51.6% were women. Controlling for covariates, subjective sleep disturbance (β = - 0.26), diabetes distress (β = - 0.39), and daytime sleepiness (β = - 0....

Journal of diabetes and its complications, Jan 17, 2018

Islet cell transplantation can functionally cure type 1 diabetes complicated by hypoglycemia unaw... more Islet cell transplantation can functionally cure type 1 diabetes complicated by hypoglycemia unawareness (HU), but requires immunosuppression. This study identified the lived experiences and risk/benefit considerations of patients pre-transplant. Content analysis identified themes from four open-ended questions pre-transplant in an islet transplant clinical trial. The sample included 23 (19 female) patients, with a mean age = 48.3 and diabetes duration = 29.3 years. Lack of control due to diabetes and HU was the overarching theme pre-transplant. Four sub-themes were also identified: fear of hypoglycemia, diabetes-related complications, hopes/expectations after transplant, and transplant outcomes. Patients expressed fear of HU and long-term complications pre-transplant, and hoped islet transplant would improve diabetes management. Patients further emphasized anxiety over burdening others, and hopes of advancing research. In addition, other patients emphasized frustrations regarding t...

Journal of advanced nursing, 2018

The objective of this study was to examine whether diabetes-related symptoms (e.g. fatigue, neuro... more The objective of this study was to examine whether diabetes-related symptoms (e.g. fatigue, neuropathic pain, diabetes distress and depressive symptoms) were related to sleep disturbance and sleep-related impairment in adults with type 2 diabetes while controlling for potential covariates. In people with type 2 diabetes, sleep disturbance and sleep-related impairment are common and likely associated with diabetes-related symptoms. However, limited research has investigated the predictive ability of diabetes-related symptoms on sleep. A correlational, cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected at a large university in the Midwestern United States from September 2013-March 2014. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the relationship of diabetes-related symptoms (fatigue, neuropathic pain, distress and depressive symptoms) to sleep disturbance and sleep-related impairment. The instruments included Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System ins...

European Endocrinology, 2010

Biological research for nursing, Jan 16, 2015

Exercise and sedentary behavior have different physiologic effects, which have yet to be fully ex... more Exercise and sedentary behavior have different physiologic effects, which have yet to be fully explained. Time spent in sedentary behavior has been associated with glucose intolerance in adults at risk for type 2 diabetes, but these data have come largely from cross-sectional studies that have not explored this relationship in adults with diabetes. The specific aim of this study was to examine the relationship between time spent in sedentary behavior and glucose levels in adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes over 3-5 days. Using continuous and concurrent data gathered from wrist accelerometry and a Continuous Glucose-Monitoring Sensor (CGMS), we conducted a longitudinal, descriptive study involving 86 patients with type 2 diabetes. More time spent in sedentary behavior was predictive of significant increases in time spent in hyperglycemia (B = 0.12, p < .05). These findings highlight the relationship between time spent sedentary and time spent in hyperglycemia, as identified thr...

Journal of advanced nursing, Jan 18, 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating influence of diabetes health characteristi... more The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating influence of diabetes health characteristics (diabetes distress, depression symptoms and diabetes symptoms) on the relationship between glucose control and fatigue in adults with type 2 diabetes. In patients with type 2 diabetes, fatigue is common and can affect diabetes self-management behaviours. Although long thought to result from hyperglycaemia, little evidence supports a relationship between fatigue and glucose control. A cross-sectional, descriptive study design was used. Data were combined from two studies conducted at a large urban university in the Midwestern United States, resulting in a total sample of 155 urban-dwelling adults with type 2 diabetes. Data were collected over the course of 6 days from 2013-March 2014. Fatigue and related biological and psychological phenomena were measured to perform path analyses using structural equation modelling methods. The STATA software was used to analyse the data. In patients ...

This randomized trial proposed to determine if there were differences in calf muscle StO 2 parame... more This randomized trial proposed to determine if there were differences in calf muscle StO 2 parameters in patients before and after 12 weeks of a traditional walking or walking-with-poles exercise program. Data were collected on 85 patients who were randomized to a traditional walking program (n = 40) or walking-with-poles program (n = 45) of exercise training. Patients walked for 3 times weekly for 12 weeks. Seventy-one patients completed both the baseline and the 12-week follow-up progressive treadmill tests (n = 36 traditional walking and n = 35 walking-with-poles). Using the near-infrared spectroscopy measures, StO 2 was measured prior to, during, and after exercise. At baseline, calf muscle oxygenation decreased from 56 ± 17% prior to the treadmill test to 16 ± 18% at peak exercise. The time elapsed prior to reaching nadir StO 2 values increased more in the traditional walking group when compared to the walking-with-poles group. Likewise, absolute walking time increased more in the traditional walking group than in the walking-with-poles group. Tissue oxygenation decline during treadmill testing was less for patients assigned to a 12week traditional walking program when compared to those assigned to a 12-week walking-with-poles program. In conclusion, the 12-week traditional walking program was superior to walking-with-poles in improving tissue deoxygenation in patients with PAD.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and heart failure (HF) are often comorbid. Sleep disturbances, poor physic... more Diabetes mellitus (DM) and heart failure (HF) are often comorbid. Sleep disturbances, poor physical functioning, and high levels of daytime symptoms are prevalent and contribute to poor quality of life in both populations. However, little is known about the independent and additive effects of comorbid DM on sleep, physical function, and daytime symptoms among patients with HF. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which comorbid DM confers independent and additive effects on sleep disturbance, physical functioning, and symptoms among patients with stable HF. This secondary analysis was conducted on a sample of 173 stable class II to IV HF patients. Self-report and polysomnography were used to measure sleep quality, objective sleep characteristics, and sleep-disordered breathing. Physical function measures included wrist actigraphy, the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form physical component summary score. Fatigue, sleepiness, and depression were also measured. Univariate analyses and hierarchical regression models were computed. The sample included 173 (n = 119/68% HF and n = 54/32% HF plus DM) patients (mean [SD] age, 60.4 [16.1] years). In analyses adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, and New York Heart Association classification, the HF patients with DM had longer sleep latency and spent a greater percentage of time awake after sleep onset than the HF patients who did not have DM (all P &amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in Respiratory Disturbance Index or self-reported sleep quality. Sleep duration was low in both groups. The patients with DM had shorter 6MWT distance, lower ratio of daytime to nighttime activity, as well as lower general health and self-reported physical function. Hierarchical regression models revealed that age and DM were the only significant correlates of the sleep variables, whereas age, gender, New York Heart Association class, and DM were all associated with 6MWT distance. Comorbid DM contributes independent and additive effects on sleep disturbances and poor physical functioning in patients with stable HF.