Combinations sulfonylurea and insulin therapy in diabetes mellitus

Management of diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to undergo evolutionary changes with further refinements as a result of enhanced understanding of the pathophysiology, technologic advances in glucose monitoring techniques and equipment, and an abundance of new drugs and insulin administration devices. Clearly, the maintenance of near normal blood glucose levels remains the prime goal of therapy in both noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) especially in the light of the recent diabetes control and complications trial. In addition, the data has always supported the role of sustained hyperglycemia in precipitating diabetic ketosis and hyperglycemic nonketotic state, as well as recurrent infections and changes in lipid levels leading to atherosclerosis in large-sized and medium-sized arteries. Basic therapeutic modalities to achieve euglycemia in NIDDM patients remain the diet, exercise, oral agents, and insulin. Optimal management of associated medical disorders, such as hypertension and obesity, also is important to prevent the onset or progress of angiopathic complications. Combination therapy with insulin and oral agents is a frequently used treatment strategy in the last decade to achieve optimal metabolic control in this population if the therapy with oral agents alone fails to achieve this objective. Furthermore, in patients with IDDM manifesting extreme excursion of diurnal glycemia, this approach deserves trial as suggested in recent studies. However, it is imperative to assess this modality in light of the knowledge of pathophysiology of DM.