Characteristics of Hypoglycemic Diabetic Patients Visiting the Emergency Room

Introduction. Severe hypoglycemia can be life-threatening; therefore, it is important to identify the characteristics of the hypoglycemic patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the type and characteristics of diabetic patients with hypoglycemia who visited an emergency room. Methods. We inclu...

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Main Authors: Tong Min Kim, Hyunah Kim, Seung-Hwan Lee, Jae-Hyoung Cho, Hyunyong Lee, Hyeon Woo Yim, Kun-Ho Yoon, Hun-Sung Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020-01-01
Series:Cardiovascular Therapeutics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/3612607
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author Tong Min Kim
Hyunah Kim
Seung-Hwan Lee
Jae-Hyoung Cho
Hyunyong Lee
Hyeon Woo Yim
Kun-Ho Yoon
Hun-Sung Kim
author_facet Tong Min Kim
Hyunah Kim
Seung-Hwan Lee
Jae-Hyoung Cho
Hyunyong Lee
Hyeon Woo Yim
Kun-Ho Yoon
Hun-Sung Kim
author_sort Tong Min Kim
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. Severe hypoglycemia can be life-threatening; therefore, it is important to identify the characteristics of the hypoglycemic patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the type and characteristics of diabetic patients with hypoglycemia who visited an emergency room. Methods. We included diabetic patients with hypoglycemia who visited the emergency room of St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul from January 2009 to August 2018 in the study. Hypo_S group patients visited the emergency room once whereas Hypo_M group patients visited twice or more. We also compared the incidence of cardiovascular disease between the groups within 5 years after hypoglycemia. Results. A total of 843 patients were included in this study, with a mean age of 71±14 years and average glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of 6.7±1.4%. For patients with hypoglycemia, lower body mass index, lower HbA1c, shorter diabetes duration, and lower glomerular filtration rate have a statistically significant relationship with patient characteristics in the emergency room group (all p<0.001). Hypoglycemia symptoms were most frequently observed between 6:00 and 12:00 am (p<0.001). Cardiovascular diseases within 5 years after discharge were more frequent in the Hypo_S group than in the Hypo_M group; however, there was no statistical significance. The frequency of aneurysms was significantly higher in patients with hypoglycemia than in other patients in the emergency room (p<0.05). Conclusion. Relatively thin older patients with a diabetes duration shorter than 10 years and good blood sugar control showed higher frequency of visits to the emergency room due to hypoglycemia. For these patients, medical staff should always be mindful of their susceptibility to hypoglycemia when prescribing insulin or OHA and educate them on the prevention of hypoglycemia.
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spelling doaj-art-769686a6d69e41c3bd3a8cb3167d2a1c2025-08-20T02:07:16ZengWileyCardiovascular Therapeutics1755-59141755-59222020-01-01202010.1155/2020/36126073612607Characteristics of Hypoglycemic Diabetic Patients Visiting the Emergency RoomTong Min Kim0Hyunah Kim1Seung-Hwan Lee2Jae-Hyoung Cho3Hyunyong Lee4Hyeon Woo Yim5Kun-Ho Yoon6Hun-Sung Kim7Department of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of KoreaCollege of Pharmacy, Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of KoreaClinical Research Coordinating Center, Catholic Medical Center, The Catholic University of Korea, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of KoreaIntroduction. Severe hypoglycemia can be life-threatening; therefore, it is important to identify the characteristics of the hypoglycemic patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the type and characteristics of diabetic patients with hypoglycemia who visited an emergency room. Methods. We included diabetic patients with hypoglycemia who visited the emergency room of St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul from January 2009 to August 2018 in the study. Hypo_S group patients visited the emergency room once whereas Hypo_M group patients visited twice or more. We also compared the incidence of cardiovascular disease between the groups within 5 years after hypoglycemia. Results. A total of 843 patients were included in this study, with a mean age of 71±14 years and average glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of 6.7±1.4%. For patients with hypoglycemia, lower body mass index, lower HbA1c, shorter diabetes duration, and lower glomerular filtration rate have a statistically significant relationship with patient characteristics in the emergency room group (all p<0.001). Hypoglycemia symptoms were most frequently observed between 6:00 and 12:00 am (p<0.001). Cardiovascular diseases within 5 years after discharge were more frequent in the Hypo_S group than in the Hypo_M group; however, there was no statistical significance. The frequency of aneurysms was significantly higher in patients with hypoglycemia than in other patients in the emergency room (p<0.05). Conclusion. Relatively thin older patients with a diabetes duration shorter than 10 years and good blood sugar control showed higher frequency of visits to the emergency room due to hypoglycemia. For these patients, medical staff should always be mindful of their susceptibility to hypoglycemia when prescribing insulin or OHA and educate them on the prevention of hypoglycemia.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/3612607
spellingShingle Tong Min Kim
Hyunah Kim
Seung-Hwan Lee
Jae-Hyoung Cho
Hyunyong Lee
Hyeon Woo Yim
Kun-Ho Yoon
Hun-Sung Kim
Characteristics of Hypoglycemic Diabetic Patients Visiting the Emergency Room
Cardiovascular Therapeutics
title Characteristics of Hypoglycemic Diabetic Patients Visiting the Emergency Room
title_full Characteristics of Hypoglycemic Diabetic Patients Visiting the Emergency Room
title_fullStr Characteristics of Hypoglycemic Diabetic Patients Visiting the Emergency Room
title_full_unstemmed Characteristics of Hypoglycemic Diabetic Patients Visiting the Emergency Room
title_short Characteristics of Hypoglycemic Diabetic Patients Visiting the Emergency Room
title_sort characteristics of hypoglycemic diabetic patients visiting the emergency room
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/3612607
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