Fall in prevalence of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia in individuals with type 1 diabetes

• Published in: Diabetic medicine 2023-04, Vol.40 (4), p.e15042-n/a
• Main Authors: Ali, Namam, El Hamdaoui, Soumia, Schouwenberg, Bas J., Tack, Cees J., Galan, Bastiaan E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Awareness; continuous glucose monitoring; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Epidemiology; Female; Glucose monitoring; HbA1c; Health risks; Humans; Hypoglycemia; Hypoglycemia - epidemiology; impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia; Male; Middle Aged; Population studies; Prevalence; severe hypoglycaemia; Surveys and Questionnaires; type 1 diabetes
• ISSN: 0742-3071; 1464-5491
• DOI: 10.1111/dme.15042

Aims Impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (IAH) has been reported to affect up to a third of people with type 1 diabetes. Whether the increased use of sensor technology has changed its prevalence remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the current prevalence of IAH and its change over time in a cohort of individuals with type 1 diabetes. Methods IAH was assessed using the modified Clarke questionnaire in adults with type 1 diabetes. Participants were recruited from the diabetes outpatient clinic from February 2020 through April 2021. The scores were compared to similar data collected during previous assessments in 2006, 2010 and 2016 respectively. Results A total of 488 individuals (51.2% male) with a mean (±SD) age of 51.3 ± 15.9 years, median [Q1–Q3] diabetes duration of 30 [16–40] years and mean HbA1c of 60 ± 12 mmol/mol (7.7 ± 1.1%) were included. Sensors were used by 85% of the study population. IAH was present among 78 (16.0%) participants, whereas 86 (17.6%) participants had a history of severe hypoglycaemia. By comparison, the prevalence of IAH equalled 32.5% in 2006, 32.3% in 2010 and 30.1% in 2016 (p for trend