Survey on hypoglycaemia among insulin-treated patients with diabetes: The Colombian International Operations Hypoglycaemia Assessment Tool population

Introduction: The non-interventional International Operations Hypoglycaemia Assessment Tool (IO HAT) study assessed the incidence of hypoglycaemia in patients with insulin-treated diabetes across nine countries, and included a cohort of patients in Colombia. Materials and methods: Hypoglycaemia incidence among patients with insulin-treated diabetes was assessed across 26 sites in Colombia. Hypoglycaemic events (any, nocturnal or severe) were reported in self-assessment questionnaires (SAQs) and patient diaries based on capillary blood glucose measurement or symptoms. Retrospective events (severe events 6 months before baseline and any event 4 weeks before baseline) were recorded in SAQ Part 1 and prospective events (4 weeks from baseline) were recorded in SAQ Part 2 and patient diaries. Differences in hypoglycaemia incidence reported in the retrospective and prospective periods were assessed using two-sided tests. Results: Of the 664 patients assessed, 213 had type 1 diabetes (T1D) and 451 had type 2 diabetes (T2D). Nearly all patients experienced at least one hypoglycaemic event in the prospective period (97.1% T1D; 93.3% T2D). Rates of hypoglycaemia (events per person year [PPY]) were higher prospectively than retrospectively for any hypoglycaemia (T1D: 121.6 vs. 83.2, p < 0.001; T2D: 28.1 vs. 24.6, p=0.127) and severe hypoglycaemia (T1D: 15.3 vs. 9.2, p=0.605; T2D: 9.5 vs. 3.5 p=0.040). Conclusion: These results, the first from a patient-reported dataset on hypoglycaemia in insulin-treated patients with diabetes in Colombia, show that patients reported higher rates of any hypoglycaemia during the prospective period.