Monday, June 27, 2011

Older Diabetics: Are Several Drugs Linked to Increased Heart Risk?

In advance of an upcoming meeting of the American Diabetes Association ,  there is research that may claim to show that older people with type 2 diabetes who take drugs known as sulfonylureas to lower their blood sugar levels may face a higher risk for heart problems than their counterparts who take metformin. Source.
According to information being released this week,  the study was comprised of more than 8,500 people who were at least sixty five years of age, and older, who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. From the source, 12.4 percent of those given a sulfonylurea drug experienced a heart attack or other cardiovascular event, compared with 10.4 percent of those who were started on a drug known as metformin.

Sulfonylurea  drugs are derivatives that are part of a class of antidiabetic drugs that are used in the 

management of diabetes mellitustype 2. They act by increasing insulin release from the beta cells in 

the pancreas.
Metformin was originally sold as Glucophage. It is an an oral antidiabetic drug in the biguanide class.Source
Read more here