Prescription pattern of anti-diabetic drugs in a rural area of South Malabar region of Kerala, South India

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease associated with significant morbidity, mortality and cost to the community.  This study was conducted to evaluate the prescription pattern of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a rural population scenario including different age groups and gender.Methods: It was a prospective observational study carried out at Pulikkal village, Malappuram from January 2018 to June 2018. One hundred and four patients of Type II diabetes mellitus who confirmed to the specified inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled for the study after taking consent.Results: This study shown that 62.5% of patients were on the age group of 41 to 60 and 96% of these patients were literate. This study shown that mono therapy was observed in 38.46% patients and combination therapy in 61.54% patients and metformin as the predominantly prescribed oral anti diabetic drug both in combination and monotherapy. In the sulfonylureas, glimepiride followed by glipizide were the prominently prescribed drugs.  There is also a significant increase in the prescriptions of newer OHAs like thiazolidinedione’s, alpha glucosidase inhibitors and DPP-4 inhibitors.Conclusions: Metformin is the most prescribed anti-diabetic drug in monotherapy. In combination therapy, most frequently prescribed combination was the glimepiride and metformin and followed by metformin+glipizide and glibenclamide and metformin.