Insulin degludec/insulin aspart (IDegAsp) treatment on glycemic control and weight in patients with insulin experienced uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus: A retrospective observational study

Objective. In this retrospective observational study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of insulin degludec/insulin aspart (IDegAsp) treatment on glycemic status, metabolic parameters, and weight/body mass index (BMI) change at a single tertiary diabetes center in Turkey.

Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with type 2 diabetes who received IDegAsp treatment between October 2018 and November 2019 at the diabetes outpatient clinic. The patients who had inadequate responses (HbA1c ≥8%) to at least 3 months of experienced insulin (± oral antidiabetic drug [OAD]) treatment were included into the study.

Results. One hundred patients (61% females) with a mean age of 61.7±10.0 years (range; 39–88 years) were analyzed. Mean fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c levels decreased by 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th months (p=0.010, p=0.007, p=0.027, and p=0.090, respectively and p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, and p=0.001, respectively). Mean body weight and BMI values increased in the 3rd (83.1±15.6 kg and 31.6±5.7 kg/m2, repecitvely) and 6th (87.0±15.4 kg and 32.3±5.3 kg/m2, resepctively) months, although the changes were not statistically significant (p=0.10 and p=0.08, respectively). However, mean body weight returned to baseline levels by the 9th (80.8±17.0 kg and 30.5±6.4 kg/m2, respectively) and 12th (79.5±13.5 kg and 30.5±5.7 kg/m2, respectively) months (p=0.074 and p=0.400, respectively).

Conclusions. IDegAsp can provide a significant decrease in HbA1c in a real-life setting. Although weight gain was observed in the first months of the treatment, this effect disappeared over time and decreased to the baseline levels.