[Safety of metformin in the treatment of elderly type 2 diabetes mellitus].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety of metformin in the treatment of elderly type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Two hundred and forty-three cases of elderly T2DM hospitalized from Jan. 1996 to Dec. 2006 were reviewed; the changes of fasting blood glucose(FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), liver and renal function and blood lactic acid were evaluate before and after treatment. RESULTS: The mean time of treatment with metformin was (6.6 +/- 3.9) years (3 months - 21 years) in these 243 cases. The levels of FBG, PBG and HbA1c significantly reduced after treatment with metformin only in 43 cases (17.7%), metformin combined with other oral hypoglycemic drugs in 124 cases (51.0%) and metformin combined with insulin in 76 cases (31.3%). There was only 18.1% of the cases with normal range (> 80 ml/min) of creatinine clearance rate (Ccr), and 25.8% of the cases with Ccr

[A preliminary survey of primary hyperparathyroidism in middle-aged and elderly Beijing Chinese].

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of hypercalcemia and primary hyperparathyroidism in middle-aged and elderly Chinese people who live in Beijing. METHODS: This research was performed in a large elderly population group who came to our hospital for health checkup. The medical histories and relevant data of all the subjects were collected. Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentration was determined in the 83 subjects whose blood calcium level was >or= 2.6 mmol/L. Meanwhile, another 83 of the subjects whose calcium level was < 2.6 mmol/L were chosen randomly as controls. RESULTS: 2451 subjects underwent the investigation. 83 (3.39%) out of the total 2451 subjects were found to have calcium level >or= 2.6 mmol/L, and 5 of them had PTH > 65 ng/L but no causative factors for the elevation. These subjects were thought to have primary hyperparathyroidism and its prevalence was 0.204%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of primary hyperparathyroidism was 0.204% in the investigated elderly subjects.