Severe Hypoglycemia: Ascertainment, Surveillance and Pharmacovigalence

Diabetes medications are commonly used to reduce high blood sugar, but their use can sometimes lead to dangerously low blood sugar. “Severe hypoglycemia” (SH), defined as low blood sugar for which the patient requires assistance, has emerged as one of the most prevalent complications of diabetes treatment and a critical public health concern. SH is associated with poor quality of life, serious falls, car accidents, arrhythmia, dementia, hospitalizations, and a greatly increased risk of death. It has been estimated that among older adults, one in four emergency hospitalizations for adverse drug events are due to SH. We will study SH in a large population of adults with type 2 diabetes, develop improved tools to identify SH and obtain a better understanding of risks associated with each diabetes drug, as well as their interactions with non-diabetic drugs.

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