Abstract
We observed changes in fasting blood sugar and plasma lipids following reduction of oral hypoglycemic agents in 22 diabetics where control of blood sugar was good over a period of about 1 yr without episodes of hypoglycemia.
1. The “good control” group, based on the criteria of Marble of the Joslin Clinic prior to the reduction of oral hypoglycemic agents, comprised 18 patients with an average age of 62.3 yr and an average period of 8.8 yr from the onset of diabetes. The average observation periods before and after the reduction of oral hypoglycemic agents were 11.8 months and 2 yr, respectively. On average, the dose of oral agents was reduced by 65% of the initial dose. Subsequent to this reduction 14 cases (78%) remained as “good controls” and 4 cases (22%) became “fair controls”. the mean fasting blood glucose prior to the reduction of oral agents in the group remaining as “good controls” even after the reduction was significantly lower than that in the group becoming “fair controls” after the reduction (86.8±5.9 mg/dl versus 95.1±5.4 mg/dl, p<0.05).
No significant changes in body weight or level of plasma lipids were oberved during the study. The degree of diabetic complications, such as albuminuria, retinopathy and abnormality of electrocardiographs, also underwent no significant changes.
2. The “fair control” group based on the same criteria comprised 4 patients with an average age of 66 yr and an average period of 8.75 yr from the onset of diabetes. On average, the dose of hypoglycemic agents was reduced by 35 % of the initial dose. Subsequent to this reduction, 2 cases remained as “fair controls” and 2 cases became “poor controls.” No significant changes in level of plasma lipids or degree of diabetic complications were observed during the study.
