Impact of impaired awareness of hypoglycemia on glucose decline during and after exercise in T1D: The T1DEXI Study

Abstract Context Adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) face the necessity of balancing the benefits of exercise with the potential hazards of hypoglycemia. Objective This work aimed to assess whether impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH) affects exercise-associated hypoglycemia in adults with T1D. Methods We compared continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)-measured glucose during exercise and for 24 hours following exercise from 95 adults with T1D and IAH (Clarke score ≥4 or ≥1 severe hypoglycemic event within the past year) to 95 “aware” adults (Clarke score ≤2 and no severe hypoglycemic event within the past year) matched on sex, age, insulin delivery modality, and glycated hemoglobin A1c. A total of 4236 exercise sessions, and 1794 exercise days and 839 sedentary days, defined as 24 hours following exercise or a day without exercise, respectively, were available for analysis. Results Participants with IAH exhibited a nonsignificant trend toward greater decline in glucose during exercise compared to “aware” (−21 ± 44 vs −19 ± 43 mg/dL [−1.17 ± 2.44 vs −1.05 ± 2.39 mmol/L], adjusted group difference of −4.2 [95% CI, −8.4 to 0.05] mg/dL [−0.23 95% CI, −.47 to 0.003 mmol/L]; P = .051). Individuals with IAH had a higher proportion of days with hypoglycemic events below 70 mg/dL [3.89 mmol/L] (≥15 minutes <70 mg/dL [<3.89 mmol/L]) both on exercise days (51% vs 43%; P = .006) and sedentary days (48% vs 30%; P = .001). The increased odds of experiencing a hypoglycemic event below 70 mg/dL (<3.89 mmol/L) for individuals with IAH compared to “aware” did not differ significantly between exercise and sedentary days (interaction P = .36). Conclusion Individuals with IAH have a higher underlying risk of hypoglycemia than “aware” individuals. Exercise does not appear to differentially increase risk for hypoglycemia during the activity, or in the subsequent 24 hours for IAH compared to aware individuals with T1D.