Related Experiment Videos
Blood glucose awareness training in Dutch type 1 diabetes patients: one-year follow-up
S Broers1, K P van Vliet, S le Cessie
1Medical Psychology Section, Department of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.broers@amc.uva.nl
Background:
American studies have shown positive effects of Blood Glucose Awareness Training (BGAT) on the recognition of hypoglycaemia. We evaluated the effects of BGAT among Dutch patients, and compared individual training with training in the original group format.
Methods:
Fifty-nine type 1 diabetes patients participated in BGAT in either a group (n = 37) or an individual (n = 22) setting. Before and one year after training they performed up to 70 measurements, two to four a day, at home on a handheld computer. During each measurement they estimated their blood glucose (BG), indicated whether they would be participating in traffic and raised their BG on the basis of their estimation, and then measured their BG. The incidence of severe hypoglycaemia and traffic accidents was also assessed.
Results:
BGAT had positive effects on hypoglycaemic awareness, decisions not to drive and to raise the blood glucose during hypoglycaemia, severe hypoglycaemic episodes and traffic accidents. The accuracy of BG estimations only improved after group training, while after individual training patients tended to measure more or more extremely high BG values.
Conclusion:
The training improved awareness of hypoglycaemia, and seems worthy of implementation in The Netherlands.
Related Concept Videos
Type II Diabetes Mellitus III: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnosis
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Hyperglycemia
Diabetes Mellitus: Overview and Type I Subtype
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin, and individuals with...
Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications
Diabetes: Management and Pharmacotherapy
Insulin remains the cornerstone of treatment for most patients with type 1 and many...