A retrospective comparison between intensive and non-intensive insulin regimens in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background This study compared the outcomes between intensive and non-intensive insulin regimens and assessed the predictive factors for failing to achieve the glycated hemoglobin (A1C) goals in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients requiring insulin therapy. Methods A single-center, retrospective assessment of the medical records of 125 T2DM patients undergoing intensive (46 patients) and non-intensive insulin therapy (79 patients) were conducted. Results No significant differences were found when the intensive and non-intensive insulin therapy groups were compared in terms of the percentage decreases of glucose and A1C levels. The mean A1C levels of the non-intensive and intensive groups declined from 11.15% and 11.30% to 7.97% and 8.06%, respectively. Conclusions Both intensive and non-intensive insulin therapies improved the baseline glycemic parameters, but being overweight or obese and/or being reluctant to dietary recommendations led to treatment failures regardless of the insulin regimen.