Initial treatment strategies and blood glucose control for newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus in the middle-aged and elderly / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the initial treatment strategies, blood glucose control and reaching standard status of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the middle-aged and elderly. Methods The 771 patients diagnosed with T2DM newly or within one year, aged 50-70 years, selected from Chinese Diabetes Complication Prevention Study (CDCPS) were enrolled in this study. The correlations of initial treatment strategies with blood glucose control (target value of glycated hemoglobin was less than 7.0%) and reaching standard status were analyzed retrospectively. Based on the same lifestyle intervention, the therapy was further divided into group A (without medication), group B (single oral hypoglycemic agent), group C (combined oral hypoglycemic agents), group D (treatment including insulin). Results Although receiving the different treatments, the 771 patients had a similar mean glycated hemoglobin level, from 7.2% to 7.7%, among the four kinds of intervention before entering the study. The increased intensity and complexity after therapy adjustment along with the increased glycated hemoglobin level was observed at baseline. The corresponding relationships between medication and HbA1c were as follow without medication-6.1%, single oral hypoglycemic agent-7.2%, combined oral hypoglycemic agents-7.7%, treatment including insulin-9.2%. After 20 months of follow-up, the mean fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin were 6.6 mmol/L and 6.2%, separately. According to the target glycated hemoglobin level of less than 7.0%, all four-kinds of therapies had high achievement rates, which were all above 80% except that was 63.2% in group D. Sulphonylurea and biguanide as initial single oral hypoglycemic agent therapy had the similar effectiveness on glucose control and target glycated hemoglobin achievement. Conclusions According to the levels of glucose and glycated hemoglobin, multiple individual therapies should be enacted at the beginning of treatment. The strategy mainly based on sulphanylurea and biguanide is proved to be persistently effective in newly-diagnosed middle-aged and elderly diabetic patients in China.