A Randomized Trial of a Home System to Reduce Nocturnal Hypoglycemia in Type 1 Diabetes

• Published in: Diabetes care Vol. 37; no. 7; pp. 1885 - 1891
• Main Authors: MAAHS, David M, CALHOUN, Peter, SLOVER, Robert, PAUL WADWA, R, WILSON, Darrell M, KOLLMAN, Craig, BECK, Roy W, BUCKINGHAM, Bruce A, PETER CHASE, H, HRAMIAK, Irene, LUM, John, CAMERON, Fraser, WAYNE BEQUETTE, B, AYE, Tandy, PAUL, Terri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria, VA American Diabetes Association 01-07-2014
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Algorithms; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - analysis; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring - methods; Consciousness; Convulsions & seizures; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - drug therapy; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Diabetic Ketoacidosis - epidemiology; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Epidemiology/Health Services Research; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Female; Glucose; Humans; Hypoglycemia; Hypoglycemia - epidemiology; Hypoglycemia - prevention & control; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use; Insulin; Insulin - administration & dosage; Insulin - therapeutic use; Insulin Infusion Systems; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; Middle Aged; Young Adult; Endocrinopathy; Human; Immunopathology; Randomization; Night; Nutrition; Type 1 diabetes; Clinical trial; Autoimmune disease; Metabolic diseases; Hypoglycemia; Endocrinology
• ISSN: 0149-5992; 1935-5548
• DOI: 10.2337/dc13-2159

Overnight hypoglycemia occurs frequently in individuals with type 1 diabetes and can result in loss of consciousness, seizure, or even death. We conducted an in-home randomized trial to determine whether nocturnal hypoglycemia could be safely reduced by temporarily suspending pump insulin delivery when hypoglycemia was predicted by an algorithm based on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) glucose levels.
Following an initial run-in phase, a 42-night trial was conducted in 45 individuals aged 15-45 years with type 1 diabetes in which each night was assigned randomly to either having the predictive low-glucose suspend system active (intervention night) or inactive (control night). The primary outcome was the proportion of nights in which ≥1 CGM glucose values ≤60 mg/dL occurred.
Overnight hypoglycemia with at least one CGM value ≤60 mg/dL occurred on 196 of 942 (21%) intervention nights versus 322 of 970 (33%) control nights (odds ratio 0.52 [95% CI 0.43-0.64]; P < 0.001). Median hypoglycemia area under the curve was reduced by 81%, and hypoglycemia lasting >2 h was reduced by 74%. Overnight sensor glucose was >180 mg/dL during 57% of control nights and 59% of intervention nights (P = 0.17), while morning blood glucose was >180 mg/dL following 21% and 27% of nights, respectively (P < 0.001), and >250 mg/dL following 6% and 6%, respectively. Morning ketosis was present <1% of the time in each arm.
Use of a nocturnal low-glucose suspend system can substantially reduce overnight hypoglycemia without an increase in morning ketosis.