Long-Term Sulfonylurea Use Tied to Impaired Awareness of Hypoglycemia
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, July 23, 2024 -- The prevalence of impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH) is high among patients using sulfonylureas long term, according to a study published in the July/August issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Hsiang-Ju Cheng, M.D., from the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan, and colleagues investigated the relationship between duration of medication use and prevalence of IAH among patients with insulin-treated or sulfonylurea-treated type 2 diabetes. Analysis included 898 patients (41.0 percent insulin users; 65.1 percent sulfonylurea users).
The researchers found that overall, IAH prevalence was 41.0 percent using the Gold questionnaire and 28.2 percent using the Clarke questionnaire among insulin users, and 65.3 and 51.3 percent, respectively, among sulfonylurea users. For sulfonylurea use, prevalence increased with longer duration, whereas it decreased with the duration of insulin use. Five or more years of sulfonylurea use was significantly associated with threefold increases in the odds of IAH, regardless of criteria used. Regular blood glucose testing and retinal examinations cut odds of IAH in both insulin and sulfonylurea users.
"The reasons for the differential association of hypoglycemia history with IAH between insulin users and sulfonylurea users need more study," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2024
Read this next
Semaglutide Offers Cardiovascular Edge Over Empagliflozin in Type 2 Diabetes
FRIDAY, June 20, 2025 -- For patients aged 45 years or older with type 2 diabetes, semaglutide seems to confer some advantage over empagliflozin in terms of mortality and...
DASH Diet for Diabetes With Low Sodium Reduces BP in Those With Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2025 -- The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension for Diabetes (DASH4D) diet with lower sodium is tied to clinically meaningful blood pressure reduction in...
Real-World Weight Loss With Semaglutide, Tirzepatide Less Than That Seen in Clinical Trials
THURSDAY, June 12, 2025 -- For patients with obesity initiating pharmacotherapy with semaglutide or tirzepatide, weight loss at one year is 8.7 percent on average, which is lower...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.