Which type of drugs should the elderly avoid due to risk of prolonged hypoglycemia?

Which type of drugs should the elderly avoid due to risk of prolonged hypoglycemia?

• A. Sulfonylureas
• B. ACE inhibitors
• C. Beta blockers
• D. Statins

Answer: (A)

In older adults, drugs that increase insulin levels are more likely to cause hypoglycemia that lasts longer because aging changes how the body processes medications and how glucose is regulated. Sulfonylureas stimulate the pancreas to release insulin, so they directly lower blood glucose. In the elderly, reduced organ function can slow drug clearance and allow active drug or its metabolites to accumulate, especially with long-acting sulfonylureas, making hypoglycemia more prolonged and harder to recover from. The other options don’t carry this direct, predictable risk. ACE inhibitors aren’t hypoglycemic. Beta blockers can mask the symptoms of low blood sugar or, in some cases, blunt glucose production, but they’re not the primary cause of prolonged hypoglycemia. Statins don’t cause hypoglycemia. So the drug class most associated with prolonged hypoglycemia in the elderly is sulfonylureas.

In older adults, drugs that increase insulin levels are more likely to cause hypoglycemia that lasts longer because aging changes how the body processes medications and how glucose is regulated. Sulfonylureas stimulate the pancreas to release insulin, so they directly lower blood glucose. In the elderly, reduced organ function can slow drug clearance and allow active drug or its metabolites to accumulate, especially with long-acting sulfonylureas, making hypoglycemia more prolonged and harder to recover from.

The other options don’t carry this direct, predictable risk. ACE inhibitors aren’t hypoglycemic. Beta blockers can mask the symptoms of low blood sugar or, in some cases, blunt glucose production, but they’re not the primary cause of prolonged hypoglycemia. Statins don’t cause hypoglycemia. So the drug class most associated with prolonged hypoglycemia in the elderly is sulfonylureas.