Clinical Case Study

Rebound hypoglycemia associated with glibenclamide

Professor Ian W Campbell

Diabetic Hypoglycemia May 2009, Volume 2, Issue 1: page 14-15

Abstract

This issue's case study discusses an elderly man with type 2 diabetes who was undergoing treatment with the long-acting sulfonylurea, glibenclamide. He presented at a hospital emergency department in a comatose state, having suffered from headaches with increasing periods of confusion over the previous 2-3 months. The patient was found to have recurrent sulfonylurea-induced hypoglycemia (SIH). This can be a side-effect of long-acting sulfonylurea treatment in elderly subjects living alone, who have inadequate diet and poor food intake. The patient’s glibenclamide regimen was replaced with a low-dose, short-acting sulfonylurea, and no further hypoglycemic episodes occurred.

Keywords: hypoglycemia, sulfonylurea, type 2 diabetes