Obesity and prediabetes affect a substantial part of the general population, but are largely underdiagnosed, underestimated, and undertreated. Prediabetes differs from diabetes only in the degree of hyperglycaemia consequent to the progressive decline in residual beta-cell function. Both prediabetes and diabetes occur as a consequence of insulin resistance that starts several years before the clinical onset of overt diabetes. Macrovascular complications in patients with diabetes are mainly caused by insulin resistance. This is why in prediabetes, the overall cardiovascular risk is, by all means, similar to that in patients with diabetes. It is important, therefore, to identify prediabetes and treat patients not only to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes, but to reduce the cardiovascular risk associated with prediabetes. This review provides an overview of the pathophysiology of prediabetes in patients with obesity and the progression toward overt diabetes. We have reviewed nutritional and pharmacological approaches to the management of obesity and reduced glucose tolerance, and the treatment of the major comorbidities in these patients, including hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and Metabolic dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), has also been reviewed. In patients with obesity and prediabetes, the nutritional approach is similar to that adopted for patients with obesity and diabetes; treatments of dyslipidaemia and hypertension also have the same targets compared to patients with diabetes. MASLD is a critical issue in these patients; in the prediabetic state, MASLD rarely progresses into fibrosis. This highlights the importance of the early recognition of this pathological condition before patients become diabetic when the risk of fibrosis is much higher. It is necessary to raise awareness of the clinical relevance of this pathological condition in order to prompt early intervention before complications occur. The single most important therapeutic goal is weight loss, which must be early and persistent.
Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder categorized in the DSM-V, but it is often not diagnosed in patients with obesity because it can be difficult to detect in these patients who often have altered eating patterns. In this narrative review, we have highlighted the most recent findings in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with BED and obesity. The results of our search showed that many BED patients are not obese, and most people with obesity do not have binge behavior. In the diagnostic assessment of these patients, it is important to evaluate not only the clinical and nutritional status and the presence of medical comorbidities, but also the psychological signs and symptoms related to psychiatric comorbidities to define the appropriate diagnosis and the consequent level of treatment. Well-tolerated drugs with action on both body weight and binges can be useful as a second-line complement to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Specific guidelines are needed to obtain consensus on appropriate recommendations in patients with obesity and BED approaching bariatric surgery, taking into account not only weight reduction and clinical data, but also eating behaviors. Identification of BED is important for targeting individuals at high risk of obesity, adverse metabolic patterns, and cardiovascular disease. The challenge is to also achieve lasting weight loss in patients with BED and concomitant obesity.
Background Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder, categorized in DSM-V, but many patients are not diagnosed, because of the difficulty to consider BED distinct condition from obesity. Its identification is important for targeting individuals at high risk of obesity, adverse metabolic pattern, and cardiovascular disease. In this review we have highlighted the main aspects of screening, diagnosis and treatment of patients with BED and Obesity.
Graves’ disease (GD) and Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) are autoimmune disorders characterized by significant heterogeneity in treatment response. Up to 50% of GD patients relapse after antithyroid drug (ATD) withdrawal, and a substantial portion of TED patients (20–50%) are resistant to first-line glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. This review evaluates the current evidence on epigenetic modifications as predictive biomarkers to guide personalized treatment. We synthesized recent findings (up to 2025) from PubMed, focusing on DNA methylation and microRNAs (miRNAs). For GD, ATD relapse risk is linked to a persistent “epigenetic memory” in T cells, notably the hypomethylation of Th17-associated genes. Circulating miRNA signatures, including miR-346, miR-23b-5p, and miR-92a-3p, also show promise in predicting remission. For TED, GC sensitivity is strongly correlated with specific circulating miRNAs. High pre-treatment levels of miR-146a predict a positive response (100% positive predictive value), while low levels of miR-224-5p predict non-responsiveness. While DNA methylation is confirmed in TED pathogenesis, its predictive role is unstudied. Major research gaps persist, particularly the near-total absence of data on histone modifications as predictive markers and the lack of epigenetic predictors for new biologics treatments, which currently rely on genetic or pharmacokinetic markers. Epigenetic biomarkers represent a promising frontier for stratifying patients and optimizing therapeutic strategies in Graves’ autoimmunity.