Insulin therapy in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes: the role of insulin glargine

Abstract

Within the USA, between 1980 and 2005, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes has increased in all age groups, with the age group 65-74 years having the highest prevalence. The treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in elderly people is made more difficult than in their younger counterparts, primarily owing to the impact of co-morbidities, complications and hypoglycaemia as well as technical difficulties with insulin injections. Accordingly, the treatment approach for elderly patients with T2DM may need to be modified to accommodate co-morbidities and illnesses associated with ageing. Risks associated with insulin therapy, particularly hypoglycaemia, have traditionally limited the use of insulin in this patient population. Insulin glargine is associated with a low risk of hypoglycaemia compared with neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin, for example, and could thus provide a treatment of choice for healthcare providers when considering the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the elderly population. A regimen based on insulin glargine plus oral agents provides clinicians with a tool to help meet therapeutic targets in this population without increasing risk of hypoglycaemia.