Long-term efficacy of sulfonylureas: a United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study perspective.
The United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study shows sulfonylureas to be an effective first-line therapy for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The durability of the glycemic control obtained is dependent on the degree to which beta-cell function can be maintained, but sulfonylureas appear neither to increase nor to decrease the underlying rate of loss of beta-cell function. As sulfonylureas act by enhancing insulin secretion, they are probably best used close to the time when diabetes is diagnosed when beta-cell function is at its greatest and their utility can be extended by judicious use in combination with agents that improve glycemia by different modes of action, including insulin.
Holman
Rury R
RR
Diabetes Trials Unit, OCDEM, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LJ, UK.
D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013453:Sulfonylurea Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006113:United Kingdom
D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D008687:Metformin; D013453:Sulfonylurea Compounds