ANALYSIS OF INSULIN GLARGINE IN THE TREATMENT OF ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DIABETES

Introduction: Diabetes prevalence in older people increases with advancing age. The global prevalence of diabetes in people between the ages of 60 and 79 is 18.6%, which is more than 134.6 million people, and accounts for 35% of all cases of diabetes in adults.

Aims and objectives: The basic aim of the study is to analyze the effectiveness of insulin glargine in the treatment of elderly patients with diabetes.

Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in THQ Hospital, Kot Momin Sargodha during October 2018 to March 2019. The data was collected from 100 type 2 diabetic patients. The patients were treated with 50- or 100-mg insulin glargine two or three times per day with meals and followed up for  8 to 10 weeks after the initial visit. The decision on the treatment duration was solely at the discretion of the attending physician. The medication was prescribed within the regular practice of the physician.

Results: The data was collected from 100 diabetic patients. The mean age of the group was 60.3 ± 11.5 years. BMI was 24.2 ± 3.2 kg/m², duration of diabetes was 12.8 ± 7.7 years and basal insulin therapy period was 2.5 ± 2.6 years. The primary efficacy outcome was that HbA1c decreased significantly over the course of the observation period (0.55 ± 1.05%; P < 0.0001). FBG decreased by 0.89 ± 3.79 mmol/L. Postprandial glucose was reduced by 2.59 ± 4.77 mmol/L.

Conclusion: It is concluded that combined insulin and insulin glargine therapy improves glucose control among different subgroups of patients with type 2 diabetes, and that the majority of clinicians and patients are satisfied with the treatment.