Hypoglycemia: An Excuse for Poor Glycemic Control?
- Mohammad Saleh, MD and
- George Grunberger, MD, FACP, FACE
Abstract
IN BRIEF
Although long-term maintenance of normoglycemia can prevent the onset and delay the progression of the microvascular complications in diabetes, a large percentage of diabetic patients continue to have poorly controlled glucose levels. The risk of hypoglycemia is a real obstacle to achieving glucose targets in type 1 diabetes. However, risk of severe hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes is minimal and should not be used as an excuse for failing to achieve glycemic goals. This article reviews the incidence of severe hypoglycemia in the major diabetes trials, the results of attempts to optimize glycemia to date, and the ways to ameliorate severe hypoglycemia in the treatment of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Footnotes
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Mohammad Saleh, MD, is a fellow in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Hypertension, and George Grunberger, MD, FACP, FACE, is a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics and medical director of the Morris Hood, Jr. Comprehensive Diabetes Center at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich.
- American Diabetes Association
