ECE2020 ePoster Presentations Hot topics (including COVID-19) (57 abstracts)
National Institute of Nutrition, Tunis, Tunisia
Background: Metformin is the most known oral glucose-lowering medications. It is considered to be the optimal first-line treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Goal
The aim of the study was to describe the clinical and biological profile of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with metformin.
Methods: This was an observational study conducted among 57 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It was performed between January and March 2020 in the outpatient department of the national institute of nutrition. Patients with creatinine clearance less than 30 ml/min were not included.
Results: The mean age was 61.3 ± 8.65 years. Sixty-three percent were women, 37% were smokers or ex-smokers and 91% were having high blood pressure. The mean duration of diabetes was 16.2 ± 7.5 years. The average HbA1c was 10.5 ± 1.5%. Thirty-nine patients (68%) were taking metformin. One third of patients treated with insulin were not taking metformin. Patients treated with metformin had significantly shorter duration of diabetes (14.7 ± 7.1 vs 19.3 ± 7.8; p = 0.044), higher creatinine clearance (96.1 ± 19.2 ml/mn vs 81.9 ± 21.1 ml/mn; P = 0.010)and higher fasting blood sugar (2.49 ± 0.7 g/l vs 2.07 ± 0.6 g/l). Age, gender, body mass index and HbA1c values were comparable in patients using metformin or not using metformin.
Conclusion: It seems to be that metformin was not regularly prescribed in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after insulin initiation. However, a combination of insulin with metformin is indeed associated with better glycemic control and less weight gain than treatment with insulin alone.