Background and Goal: Sulfonylureas are a class of oral medications used to manage blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. These drugs increase insulin production regardless of blood sugar levels. For this reason, the drugs can cause blood sugar to drop too low, leading to hypoglycemia. The goal of this study was to compare how prevalent impaired awareness of hypoglycemia was when patients with type 2 diabetes were treated with either insulin or sulfonylureas for both long and short-term periods.
Study Approach: Researchers collected data from a group of 898 participants with type 2 diabetes enrolled in pharmacies, clinics, and health bureaus of Tainan City, Taiwan. Participants were treated with insulin or sulfonylurea between August and November 2022. Researchers assessed the participants’ degree of impaired awareness of their hypoglycemia status, using the Chinese versions of the Clarke and Gold questionnaires.
Main Results:
Why It Matters: Using sulfonylureas long-term is associated with impaired awareness of low blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. The longer the patient uses this medication, the higher the risk of hypoglycemia unawareness. Current guidelines recommend using newer classes of medications that offer a reduced risk of hypoglycemia to treat type 2 diabetes over sulfonylureas, which are commonly used due to their affordability.
Long-Term Sulfonylurea Use and Impaired Awareness of Hypoglycemia Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in Taiwan
Chung-Yi Li, PhD, et al
Department of Family Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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The Annals of Family Medicine
Long-Term Sulfonylurea Use Linked to Higher Risk of Low Blood Sugar Unawareness in Type 2 Diabetes Patients
22-Jul-2024