Hypoglycaemia unawareness in young people with type 1 diabetes transferred to an adult center

Type 1 Diabetes Patient Experiences Before and After Transfer from a Paediatric to an Adult Hospital

INTRODUCTION

The management of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is especially complex during adolescence when youths are transferred to adult care centres. The objectives of this qualitative study were to: a) determine the expectations of young T1D patients prior to transfer, b) evaluate the transfer process between the 2 centres, and c) evaluate the therapeutic education and care programme (TECP) in the adult centre from their point of view.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Opinion sampling of adolescents from 2018-2019 was performed: Phase 1: adolescents with T1D prior to transfer to the adult hospital; Phase 2: adolescents with T1D one or two years after transfer and having undergone TECP. A focus group (1.5h) and semi-structured interviews (45 min) were performed and taped, transcribed, and sent to the participants for confirmation. Date analysis was performed of the transcriptions of the focus group and interviews. Fragments were selected and meta-categories created.

RESULTS

Eleven youths accepted to participate: 7 in Phase 1, 4 repeated in Phase 2 and 4 more transferred 2 years previously were added. The meta-categories obtained were: 1) perception of the quality of care and therapeutic education in the paediatric hospital. 2) transfer to the adult hospital. 3) experience of the youths 1-2 years after transfer and having undergone TECP. The data are presented in narrative form and are supported with text fragments of the participants' discussions.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Analysis of patients' experience complemented by clinical-educational evaluation of TECP provides understanding of the perspectives of youths on the complexity of living with a chronic disease since childhood. It also provides information regarding the factors favouring quality care and therapeutic education, the complexity of transfer from paediatric to adult care, determination of the strong and weak points and the establishment of strategies to improve the programme.

Structural Gray and White Matter Differences in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes and Impaired Awareness of Hypoglycemia

CONTEXT

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, where severe hypoglycemia (SH) and impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH) may play a role. While there is evidence of a possible association between IAH and brain damage, the potential brain changes remain poorly characterized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether there are structural brain differences in a group of T1D patients with IAH compared with normal awareness of hypoglycemia (NAH).

DESIGN

General practice, population-based, cross-sectional study (July 2018 to July 2019).

SETTING

Endocrinology Department, Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 40 T1D patients (20 each with IAH and NAH) matched for age, sex, T1D duration, and education level.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Using different neuroimaging techniques, we compared whole-brain gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) differences. We used voxel-based morphometry and cortical surface area analysis methods to assess GM differences, and fractional anisotropy (FA) to assess WM differences.

RESULTS

Compared with patients with T1D-NAH, patients with T1D-IAH had reduced GM volumes and cortical surface areas, especially in frontal and parietal regions (P < 0.05 corrected), and also showed reduced FA values in major WM tracts. The observed MRI differences correlated with both SH frequency and IAH severity.

CONCLUSIONS

MRI for patients with T1D show that IAH is associated with brain changes involving both GM and WM. Further research is needed to elucidate whether the observed differences are a consequence of increased SH episode frequency and increased IAH severity.