Researchers have found that a commonly prescribed class of type 2 diabetes medications puts users at risk for hypoglycemia.
Symptoms of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, have the potential to progress rapidly, leading to seizures, coma, and even death if left untreated.
Lifestyle choices can help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. The condition is also reversible, meaning that blood sugar levels can be maintained through diet and exercise rather than through medications.
Type 2 diabetes is on the rise worldwide. Risk factors include obesity and inactivity. The Dallas Express has reported extensively on the epidemic of obesity and the many health problems that it causes.
Medical News Today reports on the recent findings concerning this class of oft-prescribed type 2 diabetes medications and what consumers need to know. Here’s the start of the story:
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.