Sulfonylurea derivatives and risk of hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetic patients

Abstract

Hypoglycemia related to treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients constantly represents a substantial problem. It is connected with higher mortality and lower quality of life, mostly displayed with elder patients. Therefore it is vital to revise the antidiabetic therapy regularly and to inquire for the associated risks. Nevertheless, elder patiens are often following the inadvisable treatment by sulphonylureas derivates, which represent the second most risky medication causing hypoglycemia after insulin. In our retrospective study we analysed the occurence of serious hypoglycemia, caused by any factor, with severe diabetics urgently hospitalised at The Department of Internal Medicine of Masaryk Hospital in Ústí nad Labem, in relation to the applied antidiabetic therapy. We suspected a negative influence of hypoglycemizing therapy (above all sulphonylureas) with the elderly patiens. In sum, we hospitalised 32 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (average age 76,5 ± 8,2 years), 18 of these using sulphony-lureas (average age 77,4, with a relatively wide range from 65 to alarming 93 years). The average figure of estimated glomer-ular filtration rate (eGFR) was 0,745 (±0,293) ml/s/1,73m2. Moreover, the patients manifested polmorbidity – the average of comorbidities was 3,125, and even 3,5 with patiens on sulphonylureas. Following the arguments summarised above, we believe that hypoglycemic episodes are extremely dangerous especially for elder patients with T2DM, and from this point of view, the medication using sulphonylureas derivates seems to be inappropriate.