Insulin's risks as second-line medicine to treat type 2 diabetes
Thursday, June 12, 2014 - 09:02
in Health & Medicine
Adults with type 2 diabetes who take insulin in addition to the recommended first-line drug therapy, metformin, had a 30 percent higher risk of heart attack, stroke or death when compared to similar patients who instead augment their metformin regimen with a sulfonylurea, research shows. New heart attacks and strokes occurred at similar rates in both groups but death (from all causes) was 44 percent higher in patients who added insulin compared to those who added a sulfonylurea.