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Published on: May 11, 2015
Transitioning from insulin to dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors for type 2 diabetes
Irene Hamrick1, Matthew Joseph Goblirsch2, Wen-Jan Tuan3
1University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 231 Albert Sabin Way, Room 4111, PO Box 670504, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA; Cincinnati VA, USA.
Abstract:
Insulin administration is time intensive and costly in facility staffing. When we started nursing home patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) on DPP-4 inhibitors, we tapered insulin when finger stick blood sugar levels dropped to <200 mg/dL. Of 34 patients we were able to stop mealtime insulin in 28 (82%) and stop all insulin in 20 (59%). On average, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) decreased 0.5% and weight by 2.8 pounds. Among the 20 who stopped all insulin, HbA1c improved in 11 on average 1% (p=0.02), and weight decreased in 11 on average 4.1 pounds (p=0.66). 12 patients were switched in one day because of a low insulin dose or low HbA1c Tapering duration in the other 8 ranged from 10-727 days with an insulin dose of 28 to 84 units daily. Larger studies are needed to confirm our findings, develop a protocol for tapering insulin, and measure hypoglycemia, comfort and cost.
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