[Clinical evaluation of glimepiride in treatment of type 2 diabetes. Results of a multicenter study].

In a multicenter study 142 patients (from 8 centers) with type 2 diabetes (77 men and 65 women, mean age 57 +/- 8.5 (SD) yrs, mean duration of diabetes 64.4 +/- 57.7 months, mean BMI 28.7 +/- 3.6 kg/m2) received over 3 months as the only antidiabetic drug glymepiride (Amaryl) once daily before breakfast in the dose of 0.5-7.0 mg, but mostly 1-3 mg. The treatment was interrupted in one patient due to metabolic deterioration which needed insulin therapy, in an other one because of allergic eruption, and in two because of insufficient compliance. In all other patients the satisfactory decrease of glyceaemia in fasting state and over the day was obtained: the median value of the mean daily glycemia decreased from 8.8 mmol/l (158 mg/dl) to 7.2 mmol/l (129 mg/dl), p < 0.001, of the mean Mw index from 12 to 8.2, p < 0.001, also the median value of HbA1c diminished from 8.0 to 7.35%, p < 0.001. These effects were particularly evident in a subgroup of 28 patients with diabetes duration below 1.5 yrs: at the end of the study no one blood glucose value in the daily profile did exceed 7.7 mmol/l (140 mg/dl). No significant change of BMI, serum triglycerides and serum total cholesterol was observed, instead a significant decrease of mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure took place (from 143 +/- 20 to 136 +/- 17 mm Hg, p < 0.001, and from 85 +/- 10 to 83 +/- 9 mm Hg, p < 0.001, respectively). The tolerance of the drug was good. The verified hypoglycaemia developed in one patient (0.7%). No changes of the laboratory safety parameters were observed.