Hypoglycaemia in type 2 Diabetes: Impact, burden and management

The overall aim of the programme of work was to contribute to the current body of knowledge around the impact and burden of hypoglycaemia in people with type 2 diabetes. An additional aim was to consider how hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetes is currently managed from the patient’s perspective. A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out to estimate the prevalence and incidence of hypoglycaemia within population based studies of type 2 diabetes. A qualitative study was also carried out to explore the views and experiences of people with type 2 diabetes who have experienced hypoglycaemia. Key findings: • Hypoglycaemia is prevalent within the type 2 diabetes population. The prevalence of hypoglycaemia is 45% for mild/moderate and 6% for severe, and on average an individual with type 2 diabetes experiences 19 mild/moderate episodes and 0.8 severe episodes per year. • Hypoglycaemia is particularly prevalent amongst those on insulin (mild/moderate: prevalence = 52%; severe: prevalence = 21%, yet still fairly common for treatment regimens that include sulphonylureas (mild/moderate: prevalence = 33%; severe: prevalence = 5%. Severe hypoglycaemia prevalence was the same 5% for those on treatment regimens that did or did not include sulphonylureas. • Hypoglycaemic episodes often interrupt daily life and activities, with symptoms, causes and overall experience varying between individuals and ethnicity. • Management of hypoglycaemia is influenced by an individual’s degree of empowerment and engagement with their healthcare practitioner Based on the findings from this programme of work, recommendations are provided for clinical practice and future research to improve management of hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetes.