Work

How do hypoglycaemias affect the everyday life of people with diabetes and are they able to treat them adequately?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Aims To investigate whether people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes respond adequately to hypoglycaemia symptoms after participating in a treatment and teaching programme. Additionally, it explored how hypoglycaemia impacts patients' everyday life and the differences between individuals with and without impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (IAH). Methods This cross‐sectional study included 340 adult participant with type 1 (n = 156) or type 2 diabetes (n = 184) undergoing insulin therapy at the University Hospital Jena. Participants completed validated questionnaires and participated in structured interviews about hypoglycaemia. Awareness of hypoglycaemia was measured using the Gold Score, and diabetes distress with the PAID Scale (PAID Score 0–100, the higher the score the higher the distress). Results 23.8% of the participants treated hypoglycaemia adequately (type 1 diabetes 27.6% vs. type 2 diabetes 24.7%; p = 0.606). Significantly more people without IAH‐treated hypoglycaemia adequately in type 2 (27.9% vs. 10.3%; p = 0.047) but not in type 1 diabetes (28.6% vs. 23.1%; p = 0.568). Hypoglycaemia altered daily routines for 26.2% of participants, particularly those with type 1 diabetes (type 1 diabetes 37.3% vs. type 2 diabetes 20.1%; p = 0.001). People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes reporting changes in daily routines had higher diabetes distress scores (PAID: 22.3 ± 16.0 vs. 13.8 ± 13.5; p < 0.001). Fear of hypoglycaemia was associated with higher HbA1c values due to people accepting elevated blood glucose levels. Conclusions Despite education programmes, the majority of participants do not treat hypoglycaemia adequately. Hypoglycaemic events significantly impact daily life and are associated with increased diabetes‐related distress, especially in those with IAH.

Source: Diabetic Medicine

DOI: 10.1111/dme.70121

Authors: Nicolle Müller, Christiane Kellner, Sebastian Schmidt, Nadine Kuniß, Gunter Wolf, Christof Kloos

Institution: Jena University Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Diabetes Management and Research

Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,870