RESUMO
AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of pioglitazone and metformin combination in type 2 diabetics in achieving long-term optimal glycemic control. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients whose duration of type 2 diabetes was less than 24 months were selected for the study. 373 such patients meeting the selection criteria were included in the study and were started on triple drug combination therapy. RESULTS: Three hundred seventy three (183 females and 190 males) patients were initiated on a triple drug combination of gliclazide 80 mg, tid, metformin 500 mg tid and pioglitazone 30 mg od. Once controlled, the doses of gliclazide were reduced if the blood glucose levels decreased. Those patients whose plasma glucose remained in the normal range for more than 6 months without the use of a sulphonylurea were considered to be in pharmacological remission. 48 patients were lost to follow up. At the beginning of the study the pre treatment biochemical parameters in these 325 diabetic patients at the time of enrolment were: average FBG of 209.44+/-73.82 mg/dl, PLBG 294.96+/-107.58 mg/dl, and HbA(1c) 11.21+/-3.85. The post treatment glycemic parameters were: FBG was 124.38+/-40.48 mg/dl (p < 0.0001), and PLBG 162.32+/-54.33 mg/dl (p < 0.001), average glycosylated hemoglobin was 6.45+/-2.17 (p < 0.001). After using the triple drug combination pharmacological remission was achieved in 36.3 percent i.e. 118 (60 males and 58 females) patients. The average time required for achieving remission was 4 (+/-3.3) months in males and 5 (+/-4.02) months in females. 118 patients were maintained remission after 2 years of follow up. The average duration of remission is 27 (+/-2.66) months. There was an average weight gain of 2.56 +/- 1.32 kg in both the groups of patients in remission and those who could not achieve remission. CONCLUSIONS: In this study we have found that we could achieve long term glycemic control 'pharmacological remission' in 118 of the 325 patients i.e.36% of type 2 diabetic patients. Insulin sensitizers like pioglitazone along with metformin may induce long-term glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients.