A PROSPECTIVE, OBSERVATIONAL STUDY TO UNDERSTAND THE DRUG USAGE COMPOSITION OF ANTI-DIABETIC MEDICATIONS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a pandemic disease that has struck each and every corner of the world. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research-Indian Diabetes study (ICMR), a national diabetes study, India currently has 62.4 million people with diabetes. This is set to increase to over 100 million by 2030. The prevalence of diabetes among adults has reached approximately 20% in urban and approximately 10% in rural populations in India. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was carried out for a period of 1 year from January 2023 to December 2023 at Department of General Medicine, Tagore Medical College Hospital, Rathinamangalam, Melakottaiyur, Chennai. A total of 1113 patients were screened, from which 138 cases of DM aged between 20 to 80 yrs. Who were under treatment and following life style modification and diet advice were included in the study. Majority of the patients belonged to low and middle socioeconomic groups. Patients not willing for informed consent, those with diabetic complications and serious medical conditions requiring subsequent hospital admissions, prediabetic status, Gestational Diabetes were excluded from the study. Results: The prevalence was about 6.19% and 68.11% of them were 40-60 years of age. Metformin was the most commonly prescribed drug and 21.74% of patients were on monotherapy. Glimepiride and Metformin (33.33%) was the mostly used oral combination followed by Glibenclamide and Metformin (8.69%). Inj. Human Mix insulin with Metformin was used in 27.53%. 15.94% of patients were on statins. The most common comorbid condition was hypertension (21.73%) followed by dyslipidaemia (8.6%). Conclusion: With increasing prevalence of the disease, this study provides an insight to create awareness about the drug usage among rural population. OADs are still the predominantly prescribed drugs, but there was a shift towards the use of insulin in the management of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Intensification of current drug treatment as well as planning multiple drug interventions with lifestyle modification is necessary. Metformin is the most commonly used drug and among the sulfonylureas Glimepiride is the most commonly used.