The effects of dexfenfluramine on blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes

Dexfenfluramine has been shown to promote weight loss in overweight people. The present double-blind study was designed to test whether the addition of dexfenfluramine to conventional oral hypoglycaemic treatment would promote weight loss and improve blood glucose control in overweight patients with Type 2 diabetes. The 34 patients studied were randomly assigned to dexfenfluramine or placebo therapy which was added for 12 weeks to their existing treatment regimens of metformin with or without a sulphonylurea. Dexfenfluramine treatment was associated with a significant reduction in weight (98.7 +/- 5.0 (+/- SE) vs 94.9 +/- 5.2 kg; p less than 0.001), BMI (35.0 +/- 1.2 vs 33.6 +/- 1.9 kg m-2; p less than 0.001), HbA1c (7.5 +/- 0.3 vs 6.3 +/- 0.2%; p less than 0.001), fructosamine (313.9 +/- 17.6 vs 274.3 +/- 10.4 mumol l-1; p less than 0.01), systolic (137 +/- 5 vs 128 +/- 6 mmHg; p less than 0.05), and diastolic blood pressure (85 +/- 2 vs 73 +/- 3 mmHg; p less than 0.001). At the end of the study period, the dexfenfluramine treated group had a significantly lower HbA1c (6.3 +/- 0.2 vs 7.2 +/- 0.4; p less than 0.05), fructosamine level (274.3 +/- 10.4 vs 313.3 +/- 16.1 mumol l-1; p less than 0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (73 +/- 3 vs 81 +/- 3 mmHg; p less than 0.03) when compared with the placebo group. In those patients treated with dexfenfluramine, the reduction in HbA1c and blood pressure did not correlate with the decrease in BMI (r = 0.44 and 0.12, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)