- Sulfonylurea type 2 diabetes drugs are linked to a higher long-term risk of an impaired awareness of hypoglycemic episodes, according to a new study from Taiwan.
- From 5 years of use onward, the study suggests that repeated hypoglycemic events de-sensitize sulfonylurea users to the occurrence of hypoglycemic symptoms.
- Impaired hypoglycemic awareness with sulfonylureas was compared with that of insulin use, which conversely tapered off with time.
Sulfonylureas, a class of type 2 diabetes medications, are associated with higher risk of impaired awareness of hypoglycemia when used over the long term in a new study.
A recent study — published in Annals of Family Medicine — compared sulfonylureas with insulin treatment.
The study found that while both were linked to an increased chance of hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood sugar) in the short term, people taking sulfonylureas after 5 or more years were roughly three times as likely to have impaired hypoglycemia awareness.
Impaired hypoglycemia awareness (IHA) refers to a reduced capacity to detect when one’s blood sugar is too low, even dangerously low.
IHA may occur when years of repeated hypoglycemic episodes result in a psychological desensitization to its symptoms, and thus awareness of when it is occurring.
Sulfonylureas are among the oldest diabetes medications in use, discovered in 1946 and introduced clinically in 1956. They work by stimulating beta cells in the pancreas, promoting insulin production.
Sulfonylureas include drugs such as Glipizide, Glipizide ER, Glimepiride, and Glyburide, all of which are available in the United States. They are among the least expensive diabetes medications.
The new study, conducted in Tainan City, Taiwan, involved 898 people with type 2 diabetes. Of these, 65.1% were taking sulfonylureas, and 41.0% were taking insulin.
The researchers assessed IHA using two standard measures, the Gold and Clarke questionnaires. Their findings were roughly equivalent by both…
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