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Endocrine Abstracts (2018) 56 P441 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.56.P441

ECE2018 Poster Presentations: Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Diabetes complications (72 abstracts)

Impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia does not affect the prevalence of diabetes-related distress in people with diabetes type 1

Damianos Tsitlakidis , Nadine Kuniss , Ulrich Alfons Müller , Nicolle Müller , Christof Kloos & Guido Kramer


Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Department for Internal Medicine III, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.


Objective: The aim of this study was to assess prevalence of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (IAH) by the Gold method in people with type 1 diabetes and to compare people with and with IAH regarding metabolic control.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we assessed IAH in 139 people with type 1 diabetes (54.1y, diabetes duration 24.0y, HbA1c 7.1%) attending the University outpatient department for endocrinology and metabolic diseases. IAH was assessed using the Gold method by asking the question “Do you know when your hypos are commencing?” while scoring on a Lickert scale from 1 (“always”) to 7 (“never”). A Gold score ≥4 is considered as IAH.

Results: Impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia had 25.2% (n=35/139) of the participants. Individuals with IAH had a longer diabetes duration (56.5±13.3 vs. 53.2±14.4 years, P=0.001) and lower threshold of blood glucose level when noticing first symptoms of hypoglycaemia (3.0±1.2 vs. 3.7±0.6 mmol/l, P=0.006) than people with normal awareness. Furthermore, people with IAH had more episodes of hypoglycaemia without symptoms (1-3 events per month: 31.4 vs. 17.5%, 1-3 per week: 37.2 vs. 17.5%). We did not find a difference of PAID Score in patients with and without IAH had (score 19.1 vs. 17.8 out of 100). There were also no differences regarding number of non severe an severe hypoglycaemia, satisfaction of diabetes treatment social status and HbA1c (7.0% vs. 7.2%, P=0.363), in individuals with IAH compared to normal awareness.

Conclusions: One out of four individuals with type 1 diabetes showed IAH. Risk of hypoglycaemia without symptoms is higher in people with IAH despite HbA1c is comparable between patients with IAH and normal awareness. To reduce risk of hypoglycaemia, glucose targets should be adjusted in people with IAH.

Volume 56

20th European Congress of Endocrinology

Barcelona, Spain
19 May 2018 - 22 May 2018

European Society of Endocrinology 

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