Potential overtreatment of type 2 diabetes therapy in real clinical practice: Omsk Oblast register data
Authors: Druk I. V. , Snarskaya D. I. , Goroshchenya O. I. 
Published: July 2021

Backgraund: The total number of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Russian Federation as of 01.01.2019 is 4.24 million. The majority of patients with T2DM are elderly people and older, forming groups with high comorbidity and the risk of severe hypoglycemia, including those associated with excess hypoglycemic therapy. Foreign studies indicate that a significant proportion of older adults with diabetes are potentially exposed to excessive sugar-lowering therapy.

Aims: to study the frequency of excessive decrease in HbA1c in a group of patients with T2DM according to a sample from the regional diabetes register.

Materials and methods: A content analysis of the regional register of diabetes mellitus was carried out as of ­December 31, 2019. Based on the register data, an individual target level of HbA1c was calculated and the compliance of the achieved HbA1c level with the target level was assessed.

Results: The analysis included data from 1202 patients with T2DM, which amounted to 2.35% of the total number of patients with T2DM in the region (n = 51,163). The age of the included individuals was 66 years (LQ 60.0; UQ 72), 360 men (29.95%). The duration of T2DM 8.0 years. The HbA1c level in the general group was 7.1%. Persons over 60 years of age accounted for 75.21% (n = 904). When analyzing HbA1c in the age groups, there were no statistically significant differences (p> 0.05). HbA1c was above the target level in 43.34% of cases (n = 521). The level of HbA1c <6.5% was noted in a quarter of cases (24.62%), including HbA1c <6.0% was recorded in 97 cases, which accounted for a third of all cases of tight glycemic control. At the same time, the majority of observations of HbA1c <6.5% were in patients 60 years and older (79.73%). Among young and middle-aged patients with HbA1c <6.5%, 8.33% of cases had risk factors for severe hypoglycemia in the presence of SU and / or insulin therapy. In the older age group (in comparison with young and middle-aged patients), HbA1c <7% (p <0.05) was significantly more often detected, there was a tendency for a higher frequency of HbA1c <6.5% (p = 0.067). Among elderly and senile patients with HbA1c <6.5%, in 41.53% of cases there were risk factors for severe hypoglycemia, in a quarter of cases in T2DM therapy SU and / or insulin were used (24.58%), almost every fifth patient (19.07%), risk factors for severe hypoglycemia, received SU and / or insulin.

Conclusion: According to our data, at least a quarter of patients in the older age group (24.58%) had overtreatment and need de-intensification of therapy. Perhaps that in this group of patients, the risks associated with treatment may outweigh the benefits of tight glycemic control, and these patients require planned de-intensification of glucose-lowering therapy. Taking into account the position of some expert communities on determining the target range of HbA1c in the older age group, the need for de-intensification of antihyperglycaemic therapy may be even higher. Further research is required in order to develop a full-fledged domestic concept of de-intensification of hypoglycemic therapy.