Economic burden of hypoglycemia in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Hypoglycemia is an acute complication of diabetes that increases morbidity, mortality and economic costs of diabetes. It presents major clinical problems for the management of Type 2 diabetes as this disease represents the great majority of all diabetes cases. Hypoglycemia makes it difficult for some individuals to achieve good glycemic control, reduces quality of life and increases the burden of diabetes to healthcare systems. Understanding hypoglycemia risk factors can help patients with Type 2 diabetes to correct and avoid hypoglycemia. Recently, an increased risk of hypoglycemia with intensive glycemic control has been identified as an important problem in optimally controlling blood glucose levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes.