Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Jan 2006
Review[Traditional contraindications to the use of metformin -- more harmful than beneficial?].
For fear of lactic acidosis the currently listed contraindications to the use of metformin exclude a large number of people with type 2 diabetes from efficacious anti-hyperglycemic and cardioprotective treatment. Yet recent data call the traditional contraindications to metformin into question. As the incidence of lactic acidosis in patients with type 2 diabetes is the same with or without metformin therapy (about 9 per 100,000 patient years) there is no evidence that metformin therapy is associated with an increased risk of lactic acidosis. ⋯ These findings raise doubts about the significance of metformin in the pathogenesis of lactic acidosis. On the basis of the current data, advanced age per se, mild renal impairment and stable heart failure can no longer be upheld as contraindications to the use of metformin. It should be safe to withdraw metformin the evening before radiological examinations with intravenous contrast media or surgical procedures under general anaesthesia in diabetics with normal renal function.