[Effect of acarbose on postprandial increase in blood glucose. Additive acute effect of once daily administration in insulin treated diabetes].

UNLABELLED

Only few controlled studies have been conducted on the influence of additive treatment with the glucosidase inhibitor acarbose on post-prandial blood sugar levels in insulin-dependent diabetics. To date, the behavior of blood sugar levels under treatment with acarbose has not been studied in insulin-dependent, type II diabetics.

METHOD

Forty-six diabetics--36 insulin-dependent type II, and 10 type I--were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized parallel group study with the aim of investigating the influence of acarbose on the primary variable maximum blood glucose increase following a standard breakfast eaten after 7 days of treatment. The patients were to have an HbA1 value of > 9%, and a post-prandial increase in blood glucose 90 minutes after a standardised breakfast (3 white bread units) of at least 50 mg/dl as compared with the fasting blood sugar during a one-week run-in period.

INTERVENTION

The patients were randomized to treatment consisting of either one tablet of 100 mg acarbose or a single placebo tablet taken daily with breakfast.

RESULTS

While the placebo group showed a mean further rise in maximum blood glucose levels after 7 days of treatment from 76.1 +/- 13.1 mg/dl to 84.3 +/- 17.8 mg/dl over the baseline value, there was a decrease in the acarbose group from 80.5 +/- 12.8 to 46.3 +/- 12.8 mg/dl. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p = 0.0001). No significant correlation was found between the treatment and type of diabetes. Mild adverse events such as meteorism, flatulence and diarrhea did not lead to any interruption of the study, and had cleared up by the end of the trial in all patients.

CONCLUSION

The use of a single dose of 100 mg acarbose at breakfast time can result in a marked flattening of elevated post-prandial morning blood glucose profiles in both insulin-dependent type II and type I diabetics.