Rates and predictors of hypoglycaemia in 27,585 people from 24 countries with insulin-treated type 1 and type 2 diabetes: the global HAT study

AIMS: There is a lack of data on the prevalence of hypoglycaemia in developed and developing countries. This study aimed to determine the global extent of hypoglycaemia experienced by patients with diabetes using insulin.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This non-interventional, multicentre, 6-month retrospective and 4-week prospective study using self-assessment questionnaire and patient diaries included 27,585 patients, ≥18 years, with type 1 diabetes (T1D) (n = 8022) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) (n = 19,563) treated with insulin for >12 months, at 2004 sites in 24 countries worldwide. The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants experiencing at least one hypoglycaemic event during the observational period.

RESULTS: During the prospective period, 83.0% of patients with T1D and 46.5% of patients with T2D reported hypoglycaemia. Rates of any, nocturnal and severe hypoglycaemia were 73.3 (95% CI 72.6-74.0), 11.3 (95% CI 11.0-11.6) and 4.9 (95% CI 4.7-5.1) events per patient-year (PPY) for T1D and 19.3 (95% CI 19.1-19.6), 3.7 (95% CI 3.6-3.8) and 2.5 events PPY (95% CI 2.4-2.5) for T2D, respectively. The highest rates of any hypoglycaemia were observed in Latin America for T1D and Russia for T2D. HbA1c was not a significant predictor of hypoglycaemia.

CONCLUSIONS: We report hypoglycaemia rates in a global population including countries without previous data. Overall hypoglycaemia rates are high with large variations between geographical regions. Further investigation into these differences may help to optimise therapy and reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia.