Nursing home residents with diabetes are at high risk of having hypoglycaemia if their diabetes is overtreated, finds a new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The research suggests that many residents of nursing homes continue to receive insulin and other medications that increase hypoglycaemia risk even after blood tests suggest overtreatment.
Among 7422 nursing home residents, most had blood test results at the start of the study suggesting tight control of their blood sugar levels, and most were on insulin. Only 27% of overtreated and 19% of potentially overtreated residents at baseline had their medication regimens deintensified within 2 weeks.
Long-acting insulin use and hyperglycaemia ≥300 mg/dL before index HbA1c were associated with increased odds of continued overtreatment. Severe functional impairment (MDS-ADL score ≥ 19) was associated with decreased odds of continued overtreatment Hypoglycaemia was not associated with decreased odds of overtreatment.
The researchers suggested that deprescribing initiatives targeting residents at high risk of harms and with low likelihood of benefit, such as those with history of hypoglycaemia, or high levels of cognitive or functional impairment are most likely to identify nursing home residents most likely to benefit from deintensification.
“I hope this work lays the foundation for future projects that promote appropriate deintensification of glucose lowering medications in nursing home residents,” said lead author Lauren I. Lederle, MD, of the San Francisco VA Medical Center.
Source: Wiley
