Treatment of Hypoglycaemia in Very Young Children (< 5 Years of Age) with Type 1 Diabetes Using the Glucose RapidSpray™

Abstract

Treatment of Hypoglycaemia in Very Young Children (< 5 Years of Age) with Type 1 Diabetes Using the Glucose RapidSpray. EKATERINA PRONINA*, HELEN PETRAIKINA, MICHAIL ANTSIFEROV, OLGA DUCHAREVA, CHIARA GUGLIELMI, MANON YEGANEH MEROLA, PAOLO POZZILLI 1 Department of Endocrinology, Morozovskaya Children City Clinical Hospital of Moscow, Russia, University Campus Bio Medico, Rome, Italy Hypoglycaemia continues to be a complex condition to tackle especially in children up to 5 years of age because of difficulties in administering the correct dose of glucose as well as child compliance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of administering small amounts of glucose through the Glucose RapidSpray (GRS) during first signs of hypoglycaemia in children affected by type 1 diabetes (T1D) to improve the metabolic control as measured by HbA1c over a period of 6 months We designed an open randomized trial in 27 children up to 5 years of age affected by T1D. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups: group A) GRS (10 to 20 puffs of GRS, 0.5 g to 1 g glucose) depending on hypoglycaemic symptoms; group B) traditional treatment of hypoglycaemia episodes. HbA1c at entry into the trial was 9.4% ± 1.2 in group A and 9.1% ± 0.6 in group B (p NS). After 3 months both groups showed a significant improvement in HbA1c but not different between groups (group A: 8.7% ± 1, group B: 8.6% ±0.7 p NS) which further improved at 6 months (group A: 8.4% ± 0.9, group B: 8.4% ±0.6). There was a statistically significant difference in the improvement of the HbA1c in the GRS treated group vs. control group over the period of observation (0.98% vs. 0.60% difference, respectively, p<0.02, paired T test). remains a major hazard in toddlers and children with T1D. A more acceptable and practical tool to control and manage hypoglycaemia is required. The availability of GRS, in view of the small amount of glucose it delivers and the fine tuning allowed in glucose administration, represents an ideal tool in very young patients which can also improve the overall metabolic control. ABSTRACT #11