Comparative assessment of the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: The objective of the study was to estimate the most successful way of treating patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients and Methods: A total of 87 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were selected for a three-month study. The patients were divided into three groups comprising 29 patients in each group, based upon the treatment regimen. Group 1 (BMI 32.3+/-3.6 kg/m(2)) was treated with glimepiride and metformin; group 2 (BMI 27.9 +/- 3.9) was treated with daily doses of insulin mixture 30/70 and bed-time NPH insulin; and group 3 (BMI 30.2+/-4.8) was treated with a combination of three daily doses of lispo and metformin. The groups did not differ significantly in terms of sex and age. Results: Initially, there were significant statistical differences in HbA(1c), (P=0.035) between the three groups (9,21%+/-1.72%; 9.21%+/-1.54%; and 10,0%+/-1.73%, respectively). After three months, there were no statistically significant differences in HbA1(c) (P=0.66) between the groups (8.52%+/-1.7%; 8.03%+/-1.05%; and 8.0%+/-0.63%, respectively). Decreases in HbA(1c) were significant in all groups, but most pronounced in patients treated with lispro and metformin (17% on average). Conclusion: The study results suggest the need for establishing guidelines on how to treat type 2 diabetics.