A University of Vienna study published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism found that women with Type 2 diabetes on insulin therapy were more likely to experience hypoglycemia than men.
The Sanofi-funded research collected data from six random trials that examined insulin usage in 2,600 patients with Type 2, split about 50/50 between men and women. Patients were described as showing inadequate control of their diabetes, according to a Physician’s Briefing article.
With insulin therapy initiated, overall A1C scores reduced dramatically in both men and women. However, men showed greater A1C improvement, with an average reduction of .14 points more than women. By the end of the study, women were on a higher insulin dosage than men and had disproportionately higher chances of experiencing severe hypoglycemia and nighttime hypoglycemia than their male counterparts.
The study didn’t indicate why such differences occurred, but instead suggested that it was important for physicians to closely monitor insulin use when beginning insulin therapy with patients with Type 2 diabetes, especially among women.
