Exploring the demographic variables, disease burden, and pharmacotherapy in diabetes type II and related co-morbidities: Insights for tailored healthcare strategies

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a prevalent metabolic disorder with significant implications for public health, particularly in developing countries. Its management involves combination of pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modifications. This study aims to explore demographic factors, disease burden, and pharmacotherapy patterns providing insights into current practices and areas for improvement in healthcare delivery. Methodology: This study investigates prescribing patterns and indicators of diabetes management in outpatients in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The study collected recent prescriptions and brief verbal past histories from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Age, gender, HbA1c, blood pressure, blood sugar level, and present complaints of prescribing indicators were analyzed, including average number of drugs/prescriptions, percentage of drugs prescribed by generic name, percentage of prescriptions with antibiotics or injections, percentage of drugs from Essential Medicine Lists, and average drug cost per prescription. Results: 64% of females and 36% of males have Diabetes mellitus type 2, positive correlation between blood sugar level, blood pressure, and cholesterol level. The outcome of prescription analysis shows a significant association p=.043 p≤0.05 of blood sugar level for diabetes mellitus 2, Prescription shows pharmacological treatment up to some extent according to the WHO-defined protocols. Furthermore, 35% usage of metformin shows that metformin is prescribed relatively less than second-generation sulfonylurea (preferably gliclazide) metformin. Conclusion: Preferably, gliclazide is prescribed to patients with inadequately controlled glycemia on metformin when metformin alone fails to control glycemia. These findings provide insights into current practices and highlight areas for potential improvement in diabetes management according to the WHO protocols.