Serum sodium distribution patterns differed between normal subjects and patients with essential hypertension in this Japanese population. The deterioration of renal function and increased sodium intake did not explain this abnormal sodium metabolism. A higher serum sodium concentration is related to an elevated blood pressure, and, in some patients, an inappropriate elevation of plasma aldosterone levels. Of the Japanese hypertensive patients, 10-14% exhibited serum sodium concentrations of 147 mmol/l or more and inappropriate elevations of aldosterone level (suppressed PRA and normal aldosterone level). The defect in these patients presumably lies in the inappropriately high secretion of aldosterone.

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Aims/Introduction Type 2 diabetes mellitus is caused by a relative imbalance between insulin secretion and sensitivity related to the body mass index (BMI). Seven categories of oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) are available in Japan. It is important to assess the OAD utilization patterns based on patients’ BMI levels. Materials and methods OAD prescribing patterns from 2002 to 2019 were analyzed using the data collected in the computerized diabetes care database provided by the Japan Diabetes Clinical Data Management Study Group; OAD utilization patterns in 25,751 OAD‐treated type 2 diabetes mellitus patients registered in 2019 were analyzed after classifying them into five categories of BMI. Results Comparing OAD usage between 2002 and 2019, sulfonylureas decreased from 44.5 to 23.2%, and biguanides (BGs) increased from 19.3 to 50.3%. Dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors (DPP4is) increased to 56.9% in 2019. Sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) increased to 23.6% in 2019. About 90% of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients had BMI < 30 kg/m2. DPP4is were the most used OADs in 2019. When BMI exceeded 30 kg/m2, use of BGs and sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors increased, and use of sulfonylureas and DPP4is decreased. Although DPP4is were the most used OADs for patients with BMI <30 kg/m2, they were the third most prescribed OADs for patients with BMI >35 kg/m2 after BGs and sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors . Conclusions DPP4i usage was as high as that of BG in the analysis of Japanese type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with relatively low BMI. This was considered to be a treatment option appropriate for the pathophysiology in Japanese patients.

OBJECTIVELiraglutide (glucagon-like peptide-1 [GLP-1] receptor agonist) and sitagliptin (dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor) are approved in Japan for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We compared the efficacy and safety of adding liraglutide or sitagliptin to a sulfonylurea in Japanese T2DM patients.METHODSPatients aged 18 to <80 years with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c; National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program [NGSP]) of 6.9–9.4%, body mass index ≤35 kg/m2, and treatment with a sulfonylurea and/or one or two non-sulfonylurea oral antidiabetic drugs for greater than or equal to eight weeks before enrollment were eligible. Patients were randomized in an open-label manner to either 0.9 mg/day liraglutide (n = 50) or 50–100 mg/day sitagliptin (n = 49) and were treated for 24 weeks. Non-sulfonylureas were discontinued before randomization. Patients using other oral antidiabetic drugs started sulfonylurea treatment. The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c from baseline to Week 24.RESULTSHbA1c decreased in both groups, and the reduction was significantly greater throughout in the liraglutide group except for Week 24 (0.59 ± 0.80 vs. 0.24 ± 0.94%; P = 0.0525). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) decreased significantly in the liraglutide group compared with the sitagliptin group (−21.15 ± 31.22 vs. +0.46 ± 39.39 mg/dL; P = 0.0014). Homeostasis model assessment of β cell function and C-peptide increased significantly in the liraglutide group but not in the sitagliptin group. Hypoglycemic symptoms and adverse events occurred in four and nine patients, respectively, in the liraglutide group, and in two and five patients, respectively, in the sitagliptin group.CONCLUSIONTreatment with liraglutide or sitagliptin together with a sulfonylurea improved HbA1c in Japanese T2DM patients in primary care. Both drugs were associated with low rates of adverse events and hypoglycemia. The improvement in β cell function probably contributed to the improvement in glycemic control in the liraglutide group.

Aims/IntroductionWe carried out an observational cohort study to examine the relationship between the efficacy of oral antidiabetic drugs and clinical features in type 2 diabetics.Materials and MethodsWe analyzed the CoDiC® database of the Japan Diabetes Data Management Study Group across 67 institutions in Japan. In a total of 3,698 drug‐naïve patients who were initiated with metformin, dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor (DPP‐4i) or sulfonylurea (SU) from 2007 to 2012, we evaluated body mass index (BMI) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). The patients were stratified according to their clinical features, and matched using a propensity score to adjust for baseline factors.ResultsHbA1c was reduced with all drugs, with the largest effect elicited by DPP‐4i and the smallest by SU (P = 0.00). HbA1c increased with SU after 6 months in the patients stratified by an age‐of‐onset of <50 years (P = 0.00). BMI increased with SU in the patients stratified by a BMI of <25 (P = 0.00), and decreased with metformin in the patients with a BMI >25 (P = 0.00). The reduction in HbA1c was larger in patients with HbA1c of ≥8%, compared with that in patients with HbA1c of <8% (P = 0.00). HbA1c during the study period was higher in patients who were added to or swapped with other drug(s), than in patients continued on the original drug (P = 0.00).ConclusionsThe effect on bodyweight and glycemic control differed among metformin, DPP‐4i and SU, and the difference was associated with clinical features.