Evaluating the metformin use on type 2 diabetes prevention in high-risk populations in primary care

Purpose/Background:To identify the proportion of patients with prediabetes who have prescribed metformin and factors related to doing so as a preventive measure for diabetes in primary care at a Family Medicine Unit in northeastern Mexico.Methods:This retrospective observational study included 372 adults who met the criteria for prediabetes diagnosis according to the American Diabetes Association. Data was collected from medical records from January 2020 to December 2021. Possible associations between the variables of interest and the prescription of metformin were tested via hypothesis tests, furthermore, binary logistic regression was performed.Results:Nearly 85% of the patients met at least one criterion for receiving metformin according to ADA recommendations, but only 60% of them were prescribed this medication. Patients with metformin prescriptions differed from those without in aspects such as having a documented diagnosis of prediabetes in their medical records, a higher BMI, and higher glucose levels.Conclusions:Almost one out of two patients with a high risk of type 2 diabetes are not treated with metformin as a preventive measure. Factors associated with metformin prescription included a high BMI, elevated baseline glucose levels, and a prediabetes diagnosis in the medical record. These findings suggest the need for studies to evaluate physicians' reasons for different treatments and implementation of recommendations for type 2 diabetes prevention in patients with prediabetes in primary health care.