Oral hypoglycaemic agent failure

Type 2 diabetic patients initially respond satisfactorily to diet, exercise and oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHA), but a fraction of them acquires resistance to drugs, right from the beginning (primary OHA failure) or in due course of time (secondary OHA failure) and becomes insulin requiring ultimately. Poor diet compliance and deterioration of beta-cell function are major causes of OHA failure and annual incidence is 3 to 30%. Keeping in mind the benefit of organ salvage in diabetes, failure with OHA treatment should be detected earliest and necessary measures adopted as early as possible. Recognition, appraisal and assessment of total problem can help a diabetic to enjoy a normal life.