Management of Type 2 Diabetes: Selecting Amongst Available Pharmacological Agents

Review
In: Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000.
.

Excerpt

In the early 1990’s, clinicians’ choices for pharmacological management of type 2 diabetes were limited to insulin, sulfonylureas, and metformin. Since then, many classes of agents have been discovered, approved, and put into clinical use. Through a series of cardiovascular outcome trials and other clinical trials, some classes of agents have been found to have benefits on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and metabolic comorbidities, sometimes independent of glycemic control. As a result, diabetes management has shifted away from a “one size fits all” care to an individualized approach for each patient. Important factors to consider include efficacy, cost, side effects, adherence and treatment burden, comorbidities, mechanisms of action, and non-glycemic effects on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and metabolic liver disease. The goal of this chapter is to discuss an approach to pharmacological management that reviews current guidelines, discusses choosing appropriate glycemic targets, and presents the rationale for choosing certain medications in different situations. For complete coverage of all related areas of Endocrinology, please visit our on-line FREE web-text, WWW.ENDOTEXT.ORG.

Publication types

  • Review