High Rates of Emergency Department Visits for Insulin-Related Hypoglycemia

Rates were highest in the oldest patients, as were rates for subsequent hospitalizations.

A third of all patients with diabetes use insulin. Clinical guidelines often emphasize tight glycemic control, despite evidence of harm in some situations. In this study, CDC investigators used data from emergency departments (EDs) at 63 U.S. hospitals and population-based health surveys to assess rates of ED visits and hospitalizations for hypoglycemia among insulin-treated patients between 2007 and 2011.

Roughly 100,000 ED visits occurred annually in the U.S. for insulin-related hypoglycemia or medication errors, of which about 60% were for severe neurological events such as altered mental status and falls; 53% of cases involved blood glucose levels ≤50 mg/dL, and 29% of ED visits resulted in hospitalizations. Precipitating factors were id…

Reviewing Author

Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

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Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

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High Rates of Emergency Department Visits for Insulin-Related Hypoglycemia

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