Hypoglycemia is a health condition in which the blood sugar (glucose) level is lower than normal.
In a new study, researchers found severe hypoglycemia is linked to a substantially higher risk for falls among older adults with type 2 diabetes.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of California in San Francisco and elsewhere.
The team used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study to identify 1,162 people with diagnosed diabetes.
They focused on the association between severe hypoglycemia and falls.
The researchers found that 149 participants (12.8%) ever had a severe hypoglycemic event either before or during the 13.1 years of follow-up.
The rate of falls among persons without severe hypoglycemia was 2.17 per 100 person-years versus 8.81 per 100 person-years for people with severe hypoglycemia.
Severe hypoglycemia was linked to a higher risk of falls. Findings were consistent when examining subgroups by age, sex, race, body mass index, duration of diabetes, or functional difficulty.
The team says fall risk should be considered when using a glycemic treatment in older adults.
Assessing hypoglycemia history and future hypoglycemia risk could also improve fall prevention for older adults with diabetes.
One author of the study is Alexandra K. Lee, Ph.D.
The study is published in Diabetes Care.
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