How Significant Is Severe Hypoglycemia in Older Adults With Diabetes?

Abstract

Severe hypoglycemia is a devastating event in the lives of people with diabetes treated with insulin and/or insulin secretogogues. Severe hypoglycemia is defined as an episode in which the person with diabetes requires the assistance of another to increase blood glucose, usually by administration of glucagon or contacting a medical professional. These occurrences are not rare. More than 10% of adult patients in the T1D Exchange registry reported at least one episode of severe hypoglycemia over the past 12 months (1). These events elicit profound fear in patients with diabetes. By depriving the brain of glucose, severe hypoglycemia acutely alters brain function, resulting in neuroglycopenic symptoms, seizures, or even death. The impact extends beyond the acute event. The Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron MR Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) trial reported that patients with type 2 diabetes who experience severe hypoglycemia were at higher risk for a major macrovascular event or death over the subsequent 12 months (2). As the population ages, there remains a critical need to understand the significance and impact of severe hypoglycemia in older patients with diabetes. In this issue of Diabetes Care , complementary articles provide new insights into the consequences of severe hypoglycemia in older adults. Lacy et al. (3) report that severe hypoglycemia is associated with reduced cognitive function in older adults with type 1 diabetes, and Standl et al. (4) confirm the bidirectional nature of the association between severe hypoglycemia and cardiovascular (CV) events in adults with type 2 diabetes. Both investigations …