title: The role of glimepiride in the effective management of Type 2 diabetes.
abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, a disorder of impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance, has reached epidemic proportions. The effective management of Type 2 diabetes is of vital concern to clinicians. The identification of high-risk individuals and lifestyle management can help control diabetes; however, most patients require pharmacologic intervention. The goals of pharmacologic therapy are to achieve adequate glycemic control while avoiding hypoglycemia and weight gain and to minimize the risk of future micro- and macrovascular complications. There are a number of available glucose-lowering agents from which to choose. This review focuses on the sulfonylureas, the first oral agents introduced for the management of Type 2 diabetes, which are effective, well-tolerated, and well-established drugs, Second-generation sulfonylureas are now widely used in the management of Type 2 diabetes. The most recent addition, glimepiride, can be used in combination with metformin, the thiazolidinediones, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, and insulin. The unique properties of glimepiride may provide advantages over other currently available insulin secretagogues.
authors.affiliation: Division of Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical School, 715 Preston Research Building, Nashville, TN 37232-6303, USA. steve.davis@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Stephen N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013453:Sulfonylurea Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D013453:Sulfonylurea Compounds; C057619:glimepiride