Study: Excessive treatment of diabetes is a health risk

According to a new US study, people with diabetes, especially those with type 1 diabetes, are at greater risk of hypoglycaemia if they receive too much hypoglycemic treatment.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, published its findings in the latest issue of the journal (Mayo Clinic Proceedings).

The researchers pointed out that a large number of diabetics usually received a lot of drugs to reduce blood sugar levels without needing it, which increased the abnormal risk of hypoglycemia.

She added that hypoglycemia is one of the most common health effects of excess sugar-based medications and that it causes immediate and long-term damage to patients.

To achieve the results of the study, researchers used data from the US Health and Nutrition Survey conducted between 2011 and 2014.

The first step of the team was to estimate the prevalence of hypoglycemic treatment in the United States using data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey.

The team identified an "intensive therapy" as taking a type of medication to achieve a cumulative reduction in blood glucose, an A1C hemoglobin test of 5.6 or less, or two drugs to achieve a rate of Hemoglobin A1C between 5.7 and 6.4.

The A1C hemoglobin test called a cumulative sugar test, a blood test that reflects the average blood glucose level in the past three months in patients. According to US instructions for diabetes, the desired A1C hemoglobin level in diabetics should be less than 7.

The researchers found that 10.7 million non-pregnant adults with diabetes had an "A1C hemoglobin" rate of the recommended rate (less than 7), however, many received intensive treatment to lower their glucose.

The team noted that this meant that as many as 2.3 million people with diabetes had received very intensive treatment between 2011 and 2014 in the United States.

As a result, 4,774 patients were admitted to the hospital and 4,804 visited the emergency department within two years of the study.

The study found that acute hypoglycemia is associated with an increased risk of death, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, falls and fractures.

According to the World Health Organization, type 2 diabetes is due to overweight and a lack of physical activity. Over time, high blood sugar levels can increase the risk of heart disease, blindness, nerves and kidney failure.

In contrast, type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system destroys the cells that control blood sugar, primarily in children.

(Anatolia)