Perspectives of Patients with Insulin-Treated Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes on Hypoglycemia: Results of the HAT Observational Study in Central and Eastern European Countries

Introduction The aim of this study was to determine the level of awareness of hypoglycemia, the level of fear for hypoglycemia, and the response to hypoglycemic events among insulin-treated diabetes patients from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The impact of hypoglycemia on the use of healthcare r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diabetes therapy 2018-04, Vol.9 (2), p.727-741
Main Authors: Haluzik, Martin, Kretowski, Adam, Strojek, Krzysztof, Czupryniak, Leszek, Janez, Andrej, Kempler, Peter, Andel, Michal, Tankova, Tsvetalina, Boyanov, Mihail, Smircic Duvnjak, Lea, Madacsy, Laszlo, Tarnowska, Iwona, Zychma, Marcin, Lalic, Nebojsa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cardiology
Diabetes
Drug therapy
Endocrinology
Glucose monitoring
Hypoglycemia
Insulin
Internal Medicine
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Observational studies
Original Research
Patient satisfaction
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Introduction The aim of this study was to determine the level of awareness of hypoglycemia, the level of fear for hypoglycemia, and the response to hypoglycemic events among insulin-treated diabetes patients from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The impact of hypoglycemia on the use of healthcare resources and patient productivity was also assessed. Methods This was a multicenter, non-interventional, two-part, patient self-reported questionnaire study that comprised both a retrospective cross-sectional evaluation and a prospective observational evaluation. Study participants were insulin-treated adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from CEE. Results Most patients (85.4% T1DM and 83.6% T2DM) reported normal hypoglycemia awareness. The median hypoglycemia fear score was 5 out of 10 for T1DM and 4 out of 10 for T2DM patients. Patients increased glucose monitoring, consulted a doctor/nurse, and/or reduced the insulin dose in response to hypoglycemia. As a consequence of hypoglycemia, patients took leave from work/studies or arrived late and/or left early. Hospitalization was required for 31 (1.2%) patients with T1DM and 66 (2.1%) patients with T2DM. Conclusion Hypoglycemia impacts patients’ personal and social functioning, reduces productivity, and results in additional costs, both direct (related to increased use of healthcare resources) and indirect (related to absenteeism. Funding Novo Nordisk.
ISSN:1869-6953
1869-6961
DOI:10.1007/s13300-018-0388-2