Impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia: a national prevelance study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A national prevalence study of impaired awareness of hypoglycemia in patients who have been attended by the Scottish Ambulance Service due to a severe hypoglycaemic event.
IRAS ID
178182
Contact name
Edward Duncan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Stirling
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 30 days
Research summary
The Scottish Ambulance Service responds to approximately 3500 hypoglycaemic related emergency calls each year. The majority of these patients are treated at home, with relatively few (29%) being transported to an Emergency Department. A recent study, conducted by the applicants, demonstrated that a small but significant proportion of patients who call the ambulance service due to a hypoglycaemic emergency required multiple ambulance attendances due to recurrent severe hypoglycaemic events (27% [n=359] of calls from 16% [n=157] of patients). Whilst severe hypoglycaemic emergencies are commonly attended to by the ambulance service, many more are dealt with without recourse to external assistance. The reasons why some people and not others require attendance by the ambulance service is unknown.
Impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (IAH) may be a demonstrable and explanatory characteristic of people who require ambulance service attendance due to a severe hypoglycaemic event. IAH occurs where patients' perception of the onset of hypoglycaemia is diminished or absent and is known to present in approximately 25% of the general diabetes population. Impaired awareness therefore increases the risk of severe hypoglycaemic events, as people are unable to take remedial action before their blood sugars become too low.
To date, the prevalence of IAH in people who are attended to by ambulance due to a severe hypoglycaemic emergency is unknown. Two in-depth qualitative studies of patients who required assistance, from the Scottish Ambulance Service (n=39), for a severe hypoglycaemic event, identified that over 50% of participants reported a degree of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia. This suggests that the proportion of patients who have a hypoglycaemic emergency, are attended by the ambulance service, and who experience IAH is higher than in the general diabetes population. This study will measure the prevalence of IAH in patients who have a hypoglycaemic emergency and are attended by the ambulance service.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0383
Date of REC Opinion
20 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion