CONNECT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Hospital Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Cognitive Impairment
IRAS ID
337513
Contact name
Busra Ergin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Cognitive impairment and diabetes mellitus are highly prevalent in the ageing population. Previous research has also highlighted that that effects of imbalanced glycaemia can further increase the future risk of cognitive impairment. At the same time, diabetic patients with cognitive changes may not be aware of hypoglycaemic events and dysglycaemia becomes even more difficult to detect and treat (1,2).
A potential solution to overcome this challenge is to use continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). CGM is now regularly used across many diabetic patient populations as it has been shown to be highly acceptable to patients while simultaneously improving glycemic control and the detection of hypoglycaemic episodes (1,3,4). However, the vast majority of research has been conducted in community-dwelling older adults without cognitive impairment. By contrast, monitoring or managing glycaemic levels in in-hospital diabetic patients with cognitive impairment are virtually not existent, despite this group being at the highest risk of future dementia.
The proposed observational study will rectify this shortcoming, by understand the impact of CGM sensors on hospitalised patients over 65 years with comorbid type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment. We will divide eligible participants into two groups, one group will receive standard clinical care and CGM, while the other group will receive standard clinical care only. Participants will be monitored for a duration of maximum 10 days during their hospital stay, which is the lifetime of the CGM sensor patch. We will monitor acceptability, diabetes, cognitive and health status of the participants during that period. Finally, we will conduct a final research appointment after 6 months to monitor the diabetes and cognitive health of participant long-term after hospital discharge.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0274
Date of REC Opinion
25 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion