Survey of Prescription Quantity of Diabetes Drugs (Sulfonylurea) according to Prefecture Using Open Data from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan

The incidence of diabetes mellitus increases with age and is expected to increase in the aging population of Japan. Although numerous drugs, ranging from oral to injectable formulations, have been developed for the treatment of diabetes, first-line medication is unavailable. Japan Diabetes Society states that blood glucose control goals should be set individually based on several factors, such as age, disease duration, complications, and risk of hypoglycemia. Drug selection should be based on the pathophysiology of each patient, considering the action and side effects of each drug. However, elderly people with diabetes are more likely that younger patients to develop side effects such as severe hypoglycemia, and care must be taken in the selection of therapeutic agents. Among the oral agents of concern for hypoglycemia are sulfonylurea (SU) drugs. Therefore, regional differences in the quantity of SU drugs prescribed were analyzed in this study, with the aim of preventing hypoglycemia and other problems. In addition, the age range of patients using SU drugs was investigated. The results showed that SU was widely used in the Kinki regions, but less so in Kyushu, indicating regional differences. In addition, approximately 60% of the patients taking SU drugs were ≥ 70 years old. Therefore, the study results suggest that the regional and age differences in the number of SU drug prescriptions should be taken into consideration when providing guidance to prevent hypoglycemia.