A STUDY ON PRESCRIBING PRACTICE AND GENERAL TRENDS OF DIABETES AMONG PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a clinical syndrome considered, one of the emerging threats of the 21st century. The aetiology of diabetes are multifactorial which includes the genetic factors that are coupled with environmental factors such as obesity associated with rising living standards, urban migration and lifestyle changes. Various classes of anti diabetic drugs are currently being used in the treatment, which acts by different mechanisms to reduce the blood glucose level and maintain optimal glycemic control. The objective of our study was to analyse the prescription pattern and incidence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. A prospective, observational study was carried out in 120 diabetes patients attending the inpatient department of a tertiary care teaching hospital. The samples were collected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Socio-demographics and clinical data were noted in a pre-designed Performa. According to our study majority of diabetes patients belong to 60-69 age groups. Patients affected were non vegetarians, physically inactive and had a family history of one parent diabetic. Based on prescription pattern of anti diabetic medications, (47%) patients were prescribed with insulin followed by (23%) Biguanides, (19%) Sulfonyl ureas, (9%) Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitors and (2%) Alpha Glucosidase Inhibitors. Oral anti- diabetic drugs were prescribed in the following order: Metformin > Glimepiride > Sitagliptin > Glibenclamide > Vildagliptin > Gliclazide > Glipizide > Voglibose. Based on the number of drugs prescribed for diabetic treatment, monotherapy (57%) was more common followed by dual therapy (33%) and three drug (10%) therapy.