Awareness and Occurrence of Hypoglycemic Episodes among Type 2 Diabetic Patients Under Treatment at a Tertiary Healthcare Center in Chennai

Abstract

Background
One of the greatest threats to achieving tight glycemic control is hypoglycemia, which can lead to decreased drug compliance, cardiovascular events, and even mortality. This study was conducted to estimate the proportion of diabetic patients who have encountered hypoglycemic episodes and to assess the knowledge and practice regarding hypoglycemia episodes will aid the primary care physician to achieve better glycemic control of the diabetic patients and provide patient education to prevent hypoglycemia.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 196 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus getting treated in Non communicable disease clinic (NCD clinic) in a tertiary care institution in Chennai. Participants were selected by consecutive sampling and data was collected using a semi structured interview schedule after getting informed consent from the participants.
Results
Prevalence of hypoglycemia was 75.0%. The first reported symptom of hypoglycemia was sweating (80.0%). The most common etiological factor leading to hypoglycemia was missing a meal according to the participants (90.0%). About 80% of the participants felt that hypoglycemia episodes could be prevented by taking the right amount of medication at time.
Conclusions
This study has established the high prevalence of self-reported hypoglycaemia in the urban setting. This urges the need for the physicians to enquire about the hypoglycemia symptoms to all diabetic patients at each visit. It is also important to educate these patients about the symptoms of hypoglycemia and the importance of reporting of such symptoms, which will help in adjusting dose and preventing future attacks.