Severe hypoglycemia (SH) can be a significant problem for patients around the world with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM).
To avoid SH, patients need to better manage, and reduce the occurrence of, preceding mild hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia Anticipation,
Awareness and Treatment Training (HAATT), developed in the United States specifically to address such issues, was evaluated
at short- and long-term follow-up in a medically, economically and culturally different setting; Bulgaria. Sixty adults with
T1DM and a history of recurrent SH (20 each from Sofia, Russe, and Varna, Bulgaria) were randomized to Self-Monitoring of
Blood Glucose (SMBG) or SMBG+ HAATT. For 6 months before and 1 to 6 and 13 to 18 months after intervention, participants recorded
occurrence of moderate, severe, and nocturnal hypoglycemia. For 1-month pre- and post-intervention, participants completed
daily diaries concerning their diabetes management. Relative to SMBG, HAATT produced significant improvement in occurrence
of low BG, moderate, severe, and nocturnal hypoglycemia, and detection and treatment of low BG (p values < .05 to < .001),
with no compromise in metabolic control. At long-term follow-up, HAATT participants continued to have significantly fewer
episodes of moderate and severe hypoglycemia. These findings suggest that a structured, specialized psycho-educational treatment
program (HAATT) can be highly effective in managing hypoglycemia.
Key words severe hypoglycemia - HAATT - self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) - Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) - Blood Glucose Awareness Training (BGAT)