Reported hypoglycemia in Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: Prevalence and practices-a hospital-based study

Introduction: Hypoglycemia tops the list of hurdles in preventing tight glycemic control in diabetic patients. It is even considered as a cardiovascular risk factor. However, it continues to be a neglected complication with very limited epidemiological data in our country. Aim: To study the self-reported prevalence of hypoglycemia among type 2 diabetic patients and the practices adopted by them during and after the episodes to manage and avert future occurrences. Materials and Methods: It is a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study done using systematic random sampling selecting every 5th patient attending the diabetic Out-Patient (OP) in a tertiary medical college hospital. Results: There were 366 participants with median age of 60 years. Around 96% reported any one symptom of hypoglycemia, but 78% had eaten following the episode and got relieved of the symptoms. Weakness (76.2%) and dizziness (74%) were the most common symptoms reported by the patients. A quarter of them reported having severe attacks requiring somebody's assistance. Most patients resorted to timely meals (85%) to avert future attacks. Patients who took insulin along with oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) were at a higher risk (OR = 2.3) for hypoglycemia compared to patients taking only OHAs (P < 0.01). Conclusion: The reported prevalence of hypoglycemia among type 2 diabetes patients is quite high. This finding reiterates the importance of enquiring and educating every diabetic patient about hypoglycemic episodes during every health visit.