Diabetes complications and comorbidities: Hypoglycemia

Impaired hypoglycemia awareness is present in a substantial proportion of children and young people with type 1 diabetes and is associated with an increased risk for severe hypoglycemia, suggests research presented at the virtual 57th EASD Annual Meeting.

Using a linear insulin to carbohydrate ratio to determine breakfast insulin requirements leads to significant differences in time in glycemic range and hypoglycemia rates when meal carbohydrate quantities vary, shows a study in children and young adults.

Researchers find the increase in hospital admissions for diabetic ketoacidosis in England during the COVID-19 pandemic was caused by additional admissions of people with new-onset or type 2 diabetes.

The incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis has risen gradually since 2004, with sharper increases occurring among the oldest and most socioeconomically deprived groups, shows an analysis of data from Scotland.

Use of insulin degludec is associated with a reduced risk for recurrent nocturnal hypoglycemia as measured by hourly plasma glucose among adults with type 1 diabetes, suggest findings from the overnight substudy of the HypoDeg trial.

Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia is associated with an increase in left ventricular ejection fraction among people with type 1 diabetes and healthy controls, research suggests.

Ambulance crews may be able to reduce the likelihood for repeat callouts to people with severe hypoglycemia by offering them advice and a leaflet on avoiding a second episode, a study suggests.

Two studies, including a long-term DCCT analysis, highlight the importance of severe hypoglycemia in the risk for people with type 1 diabetes developing dementia.

Switching from intermittently scanned to real-time continuous glucose monitoring improves time in range by a clinically relevant percentage, show the findings of the 6-month ALERTT1 trial.

Researchers find diminished cardiovascular gains and an increased risk for severe hypoglycemia in frail people with type 2 diabetes given intensive glycemic and blood pressure treatment.

People with impaired hypoglycemia awareness become more proactive about treating low blood glucose when they start using continuous glucose monitoring, but do not adjust their insulin usage, show data from HypoDE.

Dasiglucagon, a next-generation glucagon analog in a ready-to-use formulation, rapidly restores plasma glucose levels following severe hypoglycemia in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, show findings from a phase 3 trial.

People with type 1 diabetes who are “hyperglycemia aversive” reduce their hyperglycemia exposure at the cost of increased hypoglycemia and, potentially, reduced hypoglycemia awareness, research suggests.

Fear of hypoglycemia, rather than the actual frequency of hypoglycemic events, may impact diabetes-specific quality of life in adolescents, say researchers.

Analysis of older participants in the BRIGHT trial suggests that this subgroup may do slightly better with insulin glargine-300 than with degludec.

Readmission to hospital within a month of admission for diabetic ketoacidosis is common and associated with an increased mortality risk, say researchers.

A novel weekly insulin achieves similar glycemic control to insulin degludec at a higher fasting glucose target, report the investigators at the virtual ENDO 2021 meeting.

The amount of carbohydrate needed to treat mild or moderate hypoglycemia in people with type 1 diabetes using a predictive low-glucose suspend system may be considerably lower than what is currently recommended, report researchers.

Researchers find that people with recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis have an increased rate of mental health problems such as diabetes distress and personality disorder.

Researchers find partial restoration of brain responses to hypoglycemia in people with type 1 diabetes who recover hypoglycemia awareness during a multifactorial intervention.