Evidence mapPaperPMID 42436877Full record

ReviewClinical interventions in aging2026

Frailty-Informed Deprescribing of Glucose-Lowering Therapy in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Pragmatic Clinical Framework.

Imran Rashid Rangraze, Adil Farooq Wali, Shehla Khan, Mohamed El-Tanani, Ismail I Matalka, Manfredi Rizzo, Moe Oo

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In one paragraph

Review in Clinical interventions in aging, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Imran Rashid RangrazeRAK College of Medical Sciences, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
Adil Farooq WaliRAK College of Pharmacy, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.ORCID 0000-0003-1555-2820
Shehla KhanRAK College of Medical Sciences, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
Mohamed El-TananiRAK College of Pharmacy, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.ORCID 0000-0002-4735-5445
Ismail I MatalkaRAK College of Medical Sciences, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
Manfredi RizzoRAK College of Medical Sciences, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.ORCID 0000-0002-9549-8504
Moe OoSchool of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Older adults with type 2 diabetes are often subjected to intensive glucose-lowering therapies with a high likelihood of hypoglycaemia, falls, functional decline, and treatment burden. While international recommendations advocate for individualised glycaemic targets, they provide little clarification on when, or how, to de-intensify therapies as health status changes. Methods: We undertook a targeted evidence synthesis of randomised controlled trials, observational cohort studies, target trial emulation studies, and international clinical guidelines focusing on glucose-lowering agents for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in patients aged 65 years and older. Evidence was synthesised and prioritised based on relevance for the important outcomes in later life, including hypoglycaemia, hospitalisation, functional decline, quality of life, and mortality. From this evidence and the principles of geriatric medicine, we constructed a pragmatic, frailty-informed clinical decision framework for the purposes of guiding deprescribing and the de-intensification of glucose-lowering therapy. Results: Older adults in a variety of care continuum settings, particularly with frailty, multimorbidity, cognitive impairment, or a limited life expectancy, tend to stay on intensive glucose-lowering therapies for very little, if any, benefit. Target trial emulation studies and observational studies most often show that hypoglycaemia and treatment burden are lowered by de-intensifying high-risk medications, particularly insulin and sulfonylureas, without any clinically important deterioration in glycaemic control. Even with the evidence, existing guidance lacks a practical operational framework to implement such evidence in everyday clinical practice. Conclusion: We suggest a frailty-informed clinical decision framework that integrates functional status, physiologic vulnerability, treatment-related risks, and patient preferences in making glucose-lowering treatment decisions in older adults with type 2 diabetes. This framework shifts the focus to patient safety and functional outcomes, instead of HbA1c targets, to provide a practical approach to deprescribing and de-intensifying treatment to minimise iatrogenic harm and, most importantly, to align care with the preferences of older adults.

Indexed as

DeprescriptionsDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2Frail ElderlyFrailtyHypoglycemic AgentsAgedAged, 80 and overBlood GlucoseHumansHypoglycemiaInsulin SecretagoguesQuality of LifeBlood GlucoseHypoglycemic AgentsInsulin Secretagoguesdeprescribingfrailtyglucose-lowering therapyolder adultstype 2 diabetes

Identifiers

PMID42436877
PMCPMC13355641

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.