A review of the response to oral anti-diabetes agents in patients with type 2 diabetes

Patients with type 2 diabetes show a progressive decline in glycemic control and receive anti-diabetic therapy in order to reach the target glycated hemoglobin level of < 7% set by the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. An article published in the May 2010 issue of Postgraduate Medicine reviews the effectiveness of oral anti-diabetes (OAD) agents in maintaining glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The authors state that the response to OADs decline over time and the majority of patients are unable to maintain glycemic control, thus necessitating additional therapy. Many factors affect the individual response to OAD treatment, including duration of diabetes, baseline glycated hemoglobin level, anti-diabetes treatment status, the hyperglycemia treatment strategy, and the duration of inadequate OAD therapy. The article examines these factors and the efficacy of OAD agents in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The authors conclude that clinicians should be aware of the factors that may predispose patients to a diminishing glycemic response when choosing a treatment regimen so that they can closely monitor and promptly advance therapy when glycemic goals are not being achieved or maintained. In addition, the knowledge of these factors will allow patients who would benefit from earlier, more aggressive therapy to be identified and treated sooner rather than later in the progression of their disease.

Full text available at www.postgradmed.com