Fasting plasma glucose control among nigerians with metabolic syndrome.

Abstract

Introduction: Metabolic Syndrome consists of many diseases that predispose to cardiovascular events including type 2 diabetes mellitus, systemic hypertension, central obesity, dyslipidaemia, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation. Hence, glycaemic management of these cluster of diseases might take a different pattern compared with only type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To determine the levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and the type of oral antidiabetic drugs patients with metabolic syndrome are receiving. To relate the FPG to the type of medications the patients were using.

Materials and Methods: One-hundred and ninety-two patients with type 2 DM attending Diabetic clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos were randomly enrolled for the study. Ninety-six of the patients had metabolic syndrome X (presence of hypertension and obesity in addition to type 2 DM), while the rest had only type 2 DM. History was obtained through a questionnaire and they were physically examined. Blood samples were obtained twice for plasma glucose estimation.

Results: There were more metabolic syndrome subjects on combination of sulponylurea and metformin (80%) than the controls (28%), (<0.01). While many of the control subjects were on sulphonylurea alone (56% vs 7%, <0.01 ), none was on metformin alone. The mean fasting plasma glucose were comparable among the groups (5.63.8mmol/l vs 5.52.9mmol/l ), =0.36.

Conclusion: Insulin resistance seems to plays a more prominent role in MS and patients benefited more from either combination therapy or metformin alone whereas  cells dysfunction may be more important among patients with T2DM alone and they benefited more from sulphonylurea.


Highland Medical Research Journal Vol. 5 (1) 2007 pp. 49-53