Diabetologie und Stoffwechsel 2015; 10 - P262
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1549768

Self-reported hypoglycaemia: a global study of 24 countries with 27,585 insulin-treated patients with diabetes: Results from the German HAT population

B Kulzer 1, J Kienhöfer 2, C Mönninghoff 2, W Kern 3
  • 1Research Institute of the Diabetes Academy Mergentheim, Bad Mergentheim, Germany
  • 2Novo Nordisk Pharma GmbH, Mainz, Germany
  • 3MVZ ENDOKRINOLOGIKUM, Ulm, Germany

Background and aims: Hypoglycaemia is an important concern for patients with diabetes and physicians when setting glycaemic targets. The HypoglycaemiaAssessment Tool (HAT) study assessed self-reported hypoglycaemia in a global population of patients with insulin-treated diabetes. Here we present the results from the German population.

Materials and methods: HAT was a non-interventional, multicentre, 6-month retrospective and 1-month prospective study of hypoglycaemic events in 24 countries (27,585 patients) in people aged ≥18 years with type 1 (T1D) or type 2 (T2D) diabetes using insulin for ≥12 months. In Germany 2,430 patients (176 sites) participated the study (T1D 811; T2D 1,619).

Results: 2,056 patients in Germany completed the study. 82.8% of patients with T1D and 45.3% of patients with T2D experienced ≥1 hypoglycaemic event in the 4 weeks before baseline (50 and 11.2 events per patient year [e/y]).

Higher incidence rates were reported in the 4 weeks after baseline (80.3 [T1D] and 15.6 [T2D] e/y). A greater percentage of patients with T1D vs. T2D reported any (81.3 vs. 39.7%), nocturnal (37.3 vs. 12.2%) or severe (9.1 vs. 5.4%) hypoglycaemia in the prospective period. In the prospective phase higher rates of severe hypoglycaemia (3.0 [T1D] and 1.1 [T2D] e/y) have been reported compared to the retrospective phase (2.1 [T1D] and 0.4 [T2D] e/y).

Conclusion: In this large population of patients (insulin-treated) with T1D or T2D, rates of overall, nocturnal and severe hypoglycaemia were higher than previously published. An increased incidence of overall hypoglycaemia in the prospective study indicated under-reporting of hypoglycaemia.