Overtreatment common in high-risk diabetes patients
Major finding: Nearly half of diabetes patients at high risk for serious hypoglycemia, based upon advanced age, renal dysfunction, or cognitive impairment, had an HbA1c below 7.0%, with potential adverse consequences.
Data source: This was a cross-sectional study of nearly 300,000 diabetes patients in the Veterans Affairs health care system deemed at high risk for serious hypoglycemia.
Disclosures: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs supported the study. Dr. Pogach had no financial conflicts.
AT THE ADA ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS
Dr. Pogach was quick to rebut.
"I think the published results of the ACCORD and ADVANCE studies demonstrate that there’s a very strong association between cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and self-reported hypoglycemia, with adjusted odds ratios of about two and one-half," he explained. "I don’t think those data will ever be beat. We’re never going to have a randomized trial. So, I think the association with adverse outcomes is very clear, although we don’t know if hypoglycemia is the proximate cause or not."
The Department of Veterans Affairs supported the study. Dr. Pogach reported having no financial conflicts of interest.
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