Quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes receiving oral antidiabetic treatment
Comparative analysis of quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes receiving different oral antidiabetic treatment. Two groups of patients were involved in the study: the first group (n=83) received metformin in combination with sulfonylureas (M+SU) and the second group (n=111) received metformin in combination with vildagliptin (M+V). It was shown that quality of life of patients receiving M+V was better than in the group receiving M+SU (p<0.05). The quality of life data in the majority of M+V patients did not differ from population norms, while in the second group only 52% of patients approached satisfactory quality of life level. Additionally, after the switch from metformin monotherapy to M+V, a significant improvement of quality of life was identified; at the same time there were no significant changes in quality of life parameters of patients switched to M+SU therapy. The reduction of HbA1c level after the switch from monotherapy to combined therapy in both groups was similar (by 0.8%). In terms of patient-reported outcomes M+V therapy is more effective than M+SU therapy. Implementation of patient-reported outcomes may be of value for decision making in management of diabetes patients.