Bowel problem, loss of appetite, metallic taste in the mouth, the side effects of treatment for type 2 diabetes are numerous. According to English researchers, they push a third of patients to stop their treatment.
A treatment so inconvenient that it pushes the patients to interrupt it. This is what British researchers have found with metformin, the most common treatment for type 2 diabetes and the one recommended as first-line treatment by all drug agencies. Coming from the University of Surrey in England, their study was published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
A mega-study
Researchers studied 1.6 million patients with type 2 diabetes. Using data from clinical trials and observational studies, they gathered information on their adherence to treatment, whether by injection or tablet. . Researchers have found that metformin is the worst followed treatment: 30% of prescribed doses are not taken by patients.
Conversely, for one of the most recent treatments, the DPP-4 inhibitors, the prescription follow-up is rather well respected. Only 10-20% of prescribed doses are not taken.
Less side effects with DPP-4 inhibitors
Scientists have been interested in the links between this lack of adherence to treatment and the side effects thereof. Metformin has many, particularly related to the intestinal system: flatulence, diarrhea, lack of appetite … Conversely, DDP-4 inhibitors are very well tolerated by the body.
When patients have to take their treatment several times a day, the risk of abandonment also exists. For the researchers, these results show the importance of a dialogue between patients and caregivers on the treatments and on the painfulness of their side effects.
In France, 5% of the population is diabetic. According to the World Health Organization, by 2030, diabetes will be the seventh leading cause of death in the world.
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