Frequency of Hypoglycemia in Type 2 Diabetic Patients in Sample of Egyptian People in Clinic Based Study

Abstract Background Hypoglycemia is a true medical emergency which requires prompt recognition and treatment to prevent organ and brain damage. Hypoglycemia is not a disease in itself; it is a sign of a health problem; whose importance lies in its effects upon brain function. With increasing incidence of diabetes and with various modalities of intensive control of blood glucose levels, there is always a risk of a proportional increase in the incidence of hypoglycemia. Aim of The Work we measured the frequency of hypoglycemic attacks in type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM) in clinic based study and correlate the attacks of hypoglycemia with treatment regimens and duration of the diabetes mellitus (DM) Methods Copies of pre-tested questionnaire were administered directly to 1000 patients with T2DM at the study site. This questionnaire was previously published as a part of the Workgroup of the American Diabetes Association and The Endocrine Society (ADA) on 2013. After translating it into public traditional Egyptian Arabic language. Results Our main finding was that for people with T2DM the incidence of hypoglycemia was 36% (360 out of 1000 patients). 26.39% (95 out of 360 patients) on oral hypoglycemic drugs compared to 71.94% (259 from 360 patients) on insulin. hypoglycemia was 48.42% (46 out of 95 patients) in Diabetic patients having diabetes for more than five years and on oral hypoglycemic drugs, compared to 76.83% (199 out of 259 patients) in diabetic patients on insulin. there is a highly statistically significant difference between diabetic patients on insulin and long duration of diabetes (p < 0.001). Also show that there is a statistically significant difference between diabetic patients on oral hypoglycemic and long duration of diabetes p value 0.034. Prevalence of (IAH) impaired awareness of hypoglycemia is 49.94%&unawareness 27.72% Conclusion Hypoglycemia is common in T2DM (36%). It is a significant complication of diabetes therapy and although mild hypoglycemia causes unpleasant symptoms and disrupts patients’ daily activities, severe hypoglycemia can result in coma, seizures, and death.