ABSTRACT
Objective To compare the blood glucose level and associated hypoglycemia risks between group of insulin glargine combined with repaglinide and group of mixed insulin in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in the elderly. Methods Sixty four type 2 diabetes patients (age≥60 years) with inadequate glyeaemic control by drugs were divided into 2 groups randomly: glargine group (32 cases) and mixed insulin group (32 cases). In glargine group, 32 patients were given repaglinide before breakfast, lunch, supper respectively and injection of glargine hypodermically once at 22 o'clock every night, while the 32 patients in mixed insulin group were injected with the mixed insulin (Novolin 30R) hypodermically before breakfast and supper respectively for 16 weeks. The dose of repaglinide and insulin were adjusted every 3 days according to the level of fasting glucose (FPG)and postprandial glucose (PPG), reaching the aim of FPG less than 7.2 mmol/L and PPG less than 10mmol/L. The blood glucose level and the incidence of hypoglycemia were observed. Results The daily glucose profile and the level of HbAlc of the 2 groups dropped obviously after 16 weeks treatments (all P<0. 05). At the end of the experiment, the PPG of lunch and supper, and the level of HbAlc were markedly lower in glargine group than in mixed insulin group (all P<0. 05), and the body mass index (BMI) increased markedly in mixed insulin group compared with pre-experiment (P<0. 05), but no significant change was found in glargine group (P>0. 05). The incidence of hypoglycemia in glargine group was lower than that in mixed insulin group (2 patients in glargine group, 12 patients in mixed insulin group, P<0.05). Conclusions Both of the mixed insulin and glargine combined with repaglinide have visible effects on controlling the blood glucose, but the latter has better efficacy, lower risk of hypoglycemia and lower increase of BMI than the former.