SIDE EFFECTS INDUCED BY HYPOGLYCAEMIC SULFONYLUREAS
TO DIABETIC PATIENTS - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY
LUMINIȚA CONFEDERAT1, ROXANA ȘTEFAN2, FLORENTINA LUPAŞCU1, SANDRA CONSTANTIN1, IUSTINA AVRAM1, ADRIAN DOLOCA3, LENUȚA PROFIRE1*
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences I, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy,
16 Universității Street, 700115, Iaşi, România
2”Providența” Medical Centre – Iași, 10 Ștefan cel Mare Avenue, Iași, România
3Department of Preventive Medicine and Interdisciplinarity, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine
and Pharmacy, 16 Universității Street, 700115, Iaşi, România
*corresponding author: lenuta.profire@umfiasi.ro
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Abstract:
Sulfonylureas were the first oral hypoglycaemic drugs introduced in therapy and for over 50 years, they represent the firstline
treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus. The most concerning side effects which limit their use are the risk of
hypoglycaemia and weight gain. The aim of this study was to analyse the correlation between the side effects induced by the
oral hypoglycaemic sulfonylureas and some factors such as drug characteristics, patient’s profile and drug interactions. In this
study there were enrolled 200 patients treated with sulfonylureas which were monitored for 2 years in terms of side effects.
The results showed that 46.5% of the patients have presented one or more side effects; the most frequently reported were
weight gain (25.5%), hypoglycaemia (14.5%) and digestive disorders (6.5%). It has been found that the characteristics of
drug, the patient’s profile and the risk of drug interactions are important factors that contribute to the expression of the
reported side effects.

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