Impact of intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring with alarms on sleep and metabolic outcomes in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Virtual reality's impact on children with type 1 diabetes: a proof-of-concept randomized cross-over trial on anxiety, pain, adherence, and glycemic control

AIMS

 Assess the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) technology, in reducing pain and anxiety, and improving adherence and glycemic control among children with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

METHODS

Children with T1D, managed with continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pumps, were recruited for a randomized cross-over trial. Children were randomized to one of two interventions for diabetes management: group 1 used VR glasses first and group 2 listened to vocal-guided affective imagery first (audio). After 1 month, the interventions were crossed over. The outcome measures included pain and anxiety assessment, adherence, glycemic control, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of VR satisfaction and effectiveness.

RESULTS

 Forty children, mean age 11.4 ± 1.8 years, were participated. During the VR part, the monthly mean pain score compared to the baseline improved in both groups by 30% (p = 0.03). A 14% reduction in the state anxiety score was observed from baseline to 1 month in both groups (p = 0.009). Glycemic control measures including time in range, time above range, and glucose management indicator improved in both groups during VR part (p < 0.004 for all), compared to audio part. After one month, the patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) of satisfaction and effectiveness was sixfold higher after 1 month in group 1 compared to group 2 (p = 0.002). Adherence improved for both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

VR was shown to be effective in reducing pain and anxiety, improving adherence, PROM, and glycemic control among children with T1D. We suggest incorporating VR technology in pediatric diabetes clinics to facilitate and improve coping and management of diabetes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Trial registration number and date of registration for prospectively registered trials:ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05883267, May 10th, 2023.

Assessment of Patient-reported Satisfaction and Metabolic Outcomes Following Initiation of the Second Generation of Flash Glucose Monitoring in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

This study aims to assess patient-reported satisfaction and metabolic outcomes following the initiation of the second generation of the Freestyle Libre 2 (FSL2) system in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

METHODS

This non-randomized single-arm observation study was conducted on 86 patients with T1D living in Saudi Arabia, who were asked to wear the FSL2 for 12 weeks. The demographic data were collected at baseline, while the continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) metrics were gathered, i.e., Glucose Variability (GV) (%), mean Time in Range (TIR), Time Above Range (TAR), Time Below Range (TBR), and average duration of hypoglycemic events were collected at baseline, 6th week and 12 weeks. Further, the Continuous Glucose Monitoring Satisfaction (CGM-SAT) was collected at the end of the follow-up.

RESULTS

Compared to the 6th week, significant differences were observed in the low glucose events (p = 0.037), % TIR (p = 0.045), and % below 70 mg/dL (p = 0.047) at 12 weeks. Improvement was seen in the other glucometric variables, but no significant changes were evident (p > 0.05). On completion of the study period, the ambulatory glucose profile (AGP) metrics showed a 74.3 ± 5.01 (mg/dL) FSL2 hypoglycemia alarm threshold and a 213 ± 38.1 (mg/dL) hyperglycemia alarm threshold. A majority of the patients stated that CGM-SAT had benefits (mean score > 3.58), although they felt FSL2 had 'additional benefits. With regard to the problems with the use of FSL2 majority of the patients stated that FSL2 has minimal discomfort.

CONCLUSION

Using second-generation FSL2 in patients with T1D is positively associated with patient- reported satisfaction and metabolic outcomes.

Safety and user experience with off-label use of a flash glucose monitor (FreeStyle Libre® 1) among very young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVES

FreeStyle Libre 1 (FGM) has been approved by the FDA for children older than 4 years. It enables noninvasive glucose monitoring without the need for finger pricking. Parents of very young children often use the device off-label. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the safety of and user experience with FreeStyle Libre^® 1 and determine its impact on sleep and glycemic control.

METHODS

This was an ambi-directional cohort study. We recruited parents of very young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) who were less than 5 years old when they started using FGM at the King Saud University Diabetes Center. The parents filled out a survey evaluating their experience with the system. In addition, the glucose metrics of the children were also obtained from the Libre View system.

RESULTS

We included 31 children with mean age of the children when they started using FGM was 3.88 ± 1.10 years (range, 1.46-5.4 years), and the mean sensor use was 2.3 ± 1.3 years. During the use of the device, the parents had increased sleep duration of 0.71 h (p-value=0.04), had earlier bedtime by 2.8 h (p-value=0.04), and were able to sleep in a separate room from their children. In addition, the time in range improved by 9.9%, the time above range decreased by 8.8%, and the HbA_1c level reduced by 1.56%.

CONCLUSIONS

The safety profile of FGM used for very young children with T1DM is the same for older children, which leads to improved metabolic control and sleep quality of both the parent and the child.

Influence of Parental Health Locus of Control on Behavior, Self-Management and Metabolic Control, in Pediatric Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

Background: Precision medicine in type 1 diabetes (T1D) treatment considers context and environmental data to subclassify patients. Parental Health Locus of Control PHLOC) could influence behavior, self-management, and metabolic control of children with T1D. Methods: No. 135 pediatric patients with T1D (No. 57 with HbA1c ≤ 7.0%, “optimal” group, and No. 78 with >7.0%, “sub-optimal” group) were enrolled in the study. History, anthropometric and diabetes management data were collected, as well as caregiver’s data about socioeconomic status (SES). The PHLOC scale questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were administered. Results: Access to technology was lower in the “sub-optimal” group and, in particular, in the ethnic minority subgroup, only 8% used them. In the “sub-optimal” group ethnic minority status was higher (24%), the caregiver had a lower SES and showed lower internal HLOC. Conclusions: New care models have to be implemented to ensure equity in diabetes care and precision treatment, particularly for ethnic minority groups, because SES and external PHLOC are still an important barrier to “optimal” diabetes control. In the “sub-optimal” group, we have to implement strategies aimed at increasing self-efficacy, while in the “optimal” one, a personalised approach should be considered to facilitate the shifting of responsibilities within the family, avoiding psychological distress.