Prevalence of Hypoglycemia, Treatment Satisfaction, Adherence and Their Associations with Glycemic Goals in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treated with Sulfonylureas: Findings from the Real-Life Effectiveness and Care Patterns of Diabetes Management (RECAP-DM) in Romania

Abstract Background and aims: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and evaluate the impact on several treatment and quality of life parameters of hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients treated with sulfonylureas (SU) in Romania. Secondary objective was to determine the proportion of patients attaining haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) target of <7%. Material and method: This was a multi-center, observational study using retrospective clinical chart and laboratory parameters review, and a cross-sectional survey in Romania. The sample in this study consisted of 385 patients. Socio-demographic and clinical variables were compared between patients with inadequate and adequate control. Results: The mean age of all enrolled subjects was 65.37 (33-87) years. The average BMI was 30.44 kg/m2. Mean diabetes duration was 7.76 (6 months -32) years with the mean age of diabetes at diagnosis of 57.75 (31-85) years. HbA1c was recorded for 238 subjects with mean value of 7.12 (4.8-10.97) %. Conclusions: The prevalence of hypoglycaemia in SU treated patients was 42.2%. Highest prevalence was in the 50-60 age category, at 49.2% and lowest among the eldest subjects (>70 years), at 38.6%. Prevalence of patients at the goal of HbA1c<7% was 50.8 %. Patients with adequate glycaemic control had more acceptable BMI than those with inadequate glycaemic control. In patients not achieving a goal of HbA1c < 7%, higher level of plasma glucose and total cholesterol was determined compared to those with adequate glycaemic control. There were no significant differences in the HDL-C, triglycerides or albumin:creatinine ratios in patients with both adequate and inadequate glycaemic control.