The prevalence of diabetes increases as patients age and gain weight. More than one-third of nursing home residents have diabetes. The overall treatment goals for elderly patients with diabetes are similar to those for younger patients, but somehow the stakes feel higher. Polypharmacy, decreased activity, shifting dietary patterns, hyperglycemia, fears of hypoglycemia leading to falls, worsening comorbid conditions, and hospitalization pose great challenges to ideal management.
Because of these concerns, caution is raised about the use of insulin or oral agents that cause hypoglycemia in frail older adults in long-term care facilities. But these agents are used, and perhaps we understand little about their comparative risks.
Dr. Francisco J. Pasquel of Emory University, Atlanta, and his colleagues conducted a randomized clinical trial evaluating the comparative safety and effectiveness of basal insulin or an oral antidiabetic drug (OAD) for 26 weeks ( BMJ Open Diab Res Care. 2015;3:e000104 ).
A total of 150 patients, average age 79 years, with a blood glucose level greater than 180 mg/dL or a hemoglobin A1c greater than 7.5%, treated with diet or an oral agent, were randomized to either 0.1 U/kg per day of glargine or continuation of oral agents (metformin, insulin secretagogues, thiazolidinediones, or DPP-4 inhibitors). Glargine was adjusted based on blood sugar readings.
In the OAD group, 16% of patients were treated with metformin plus sulfonylurea, 27% with a sulfonylurea alone, and 8% with sulfonylurea and a DPP-4 inhibitor.
There were 62 hypoglycemic events in the OAD group and 43 in the basal insulin group (P = .4). Overall, daily blood glucose levels did not differ between the groups. Rates of cardiovascular events, renal failure, infection, falls, emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and mortality were similar between the two groups.
Although these data are somewhat reassuring, power may have been an issue, and a larger sample size may have resulted in detection of more hypoglycemic events in the OAD group. On the other hand, the data are balanced and resonate with previous data showing that in older adults with diabetes (about 74 years of age), intensive glycemic control is associated with an increased risk of falls in insulin users but not in those treated with OADs. The goal of the current study was not intensive glycemic control.
So, for patients in a long-term care facility, metformin and the DPP-4 inhibitors will be weight neutral without risk of hypoglycemia. Therefore, these may be the “go-to” drugs if the DPP-4 inhibitors are affordable and you do not have a long way to go for control (DPP-4 inhibitors tend to be relatively mild agents, lowering HbA1c by 0.6%). If a sulfonylurea must be used, glipizide should be chosen, because it has a shorter half-life.
Balance all of this with appropriate HbA1c goals for your patient adjusted for medical comorbidity, goals of care, and life expectancy.
Dr. Ebbert is professor of medicine, a general internist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Mayo Clinic. The opinions expressed in this article should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition nor should they be used as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified, board-certified practicing clinician. Dr. Ebbert has no relevant financial disclosures about this article. Follow him on Twitter @jonebbert .
