Introduction: Current guidelines recommend insulin for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and severe hyperglycemia, but this recommendation lacks sufficient evidence and poses practical challenges. It is unclear whether non-insulin treatments are effective in this setting. The objective of this study was to describe treatment strategies of T2D patients with severe hyperglycemia and identify which initial treatments, interventions, or patient characteristics correlated with successful glucose lowering.
Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 114 patients with T2D and a glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) ≥12%. Changes in A1C were compared between patients started on non-insulin medications versus insulin-based regimens. Regression analysis was performed to assess predictors of success in achieving A1C ≤9% within 1 year. The main outcomes measures were change in A1C from baseline and predictors of success in achieving A1C ≤9% within 1 year.
Results: At baseline, 43 patients (37.7%) started one or more non-insulin medications; 71 (62.3%) started insulin. Fifty-eight patients (50.8%) achieved an A1C ≤9%. Predictors of success were newly diagnosed T2D, certified diabetes educator (CDE) visits, and less time to follow-up A1C; insulin therapy was not. Change in A1C was significantly better in the non-insulin cohort compared to the insulin cohort (-4.5% vs. -2.8%, p = 0.001). Newly diagnosed patients were less likely to start insulin therapy (20.8% vs. 73.3%, p < 0.001), less likely to use insulin at any point (29.2% vs 81.1%, p < 0.001), and more likely to achieve an A1C ≤9% compared to patients with established T2D (87.5% vs 41.1%, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Insulin therapy was used in roughly two-thirds of patients with severe hyperglycemia, but did not result in better glycemic control compared to non-insulin regimens. Rapid follow-up, more CDE visits, and a new diabetes diagnosis were predictors of successful glucose lowering. Patients with T2D and severe hyperglycemia, particularly those newly diagnosed, may be managed with non-insulin therapy.