Weary of the side effects, 1/3 of all diabetic patients stop their treatment

razvanchirnoaga/epictura

Published the 19.12.2017 at 0725 hrs

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diabetes type 2observancemetformine

A treatment so uncomfortable that it pushes the patients to the interrupt. This is what found researchers in the uk with metformin, the treatment for the most common diabetes type 2 and the one recommended in first intention by all the agencies of the drug. From the university of Surrey in England, their study has been published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

A mega-study

Researchers have studied 1.6 million patients with type 2 diabetes. Thanks to data from clinical trials and observational studies, they collected information on their adherence to the treatment, either by injection or by tablet. The researchers realised that the metformin is the treatment of the less-well-follow-up : 30% of the prescribed doses are not taken by patients.
Conversely, for one of the latest treatments, the inhibitors of DPP-4, the follow-up of the prescription is rather well respected. Only 10% to 20% of the prescribed doses are not taken.

Side effects lower with the inhibitors DPP-4

The scientists are interested in the links between this lack of adherence to the treatment and the side effects thereof. Metformin has many, particularly related to the gastrointestinal tract : flatulence, diarrhea, lack of appetite… conversely, inhibitors DDP-4 are very well tolerated by the body.
When patients must take their treatment several times per day, the risk of abandonment also exists. For researchers, these results show the importance of dialogue between patients and care providers on the treatment and on the hardness of their side effects.

In France, 5% of the population is diabetic. According to the world health Organization, in 2030, diabetes will be the seventh leading cause of death in the world.