Clinical profile of patients presenting with hypoglycaemia in a tertiary care hospital

Satish Kumar; Balbir Singh Verma; Dinesh Kumar

Volume : IX, Issue : II, February - 2020

Clinical profile of patients presenting with hypoglycaemia in a tertiary care hospital

Satish Kumar, Balbir Singh Verma, Dinesh Kumar

Abstract :

Introduction Hypoglycemia remains a significant barrier to optimizing glucose control with some co–morbidities and glucose–lowering medications1. Iatrogenic hypoglycemia is more frequent in patients with profound endogenous insulin deficiency. We did this study to find out the clinical profile and risk factors associated with hypoglycaemia in our population. Material and Methods This retrospective study was conducted in the department of medicine, IGMC Shimla. The indoor data of the patients admitted with hypoglycaemia as per the inclusion criteria from August 1st 2017 to July 31st 2019 (2 years) was retrieved from the record section of IGMC Shimla. The detailed history and investigations were recorded. The data thus obtained was analyzed. Results One hundred patients of hypoglycaemia were included in the study. Most of the patients (68%) belonged to rural background. Type 2 Diabetes was present in 92% of patients. Overall a total of 36% patients were receiving insulin. Glimepiride was the most commonly used sulfonylurea. Mean random blood sugar on admission was 37.12mg/dl. Altered consciousness was the most common presentation in our study (90%). Most of the patients improved with treatment (98%). Conclusion Elderly diabetics are more prone to the development of hypoglycaemia, especially those on insulin and sulfonylureas. Care should be taken while prescribing these drugs to the elderly and frequent self monitoring of blood glucose should be advised.