New insights on glucose homoeostasis during Ramadan

Mitigation of hypoglycemia during Ramadan using the flash glucose monitoring system following dose adjustment of insulin and sulphonylurea in patients taking multiple glucose-lowering therapies (The PROFAST-IT Study)

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

Patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on multiple glucose-lowering therapies who fast during Ramadan are at increased risk of hypoglycemia. We have assessed the utility of the flash glucose monitoring system after adjusting the dose of insulin and sulphonylureas to mitigate the risk of hypoglycemia in patients with T2DM who fast during Ramadan.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with T2DM on either basal insulin or a sulphonylurea and at least 2 other glucose-lowering agents received structured education and adjustment of insulin or sulphonylurea dose according to the PROFAST Ramadan protocol. Glucose variability and episodes of hypoglycemia were assessed using the flash glucose monitoring system (Free Style Libre) before and during Ramadan.

RESULTS

A total of 33 patients with T2DM (on sulphonylurea (SU+) (n = 21), on basal insulin (BI+) (n = 12) aged 50.8 ± 1.6 years with a diabetes duration of 13.1 ± 6.5 years were studied. The average sensor glucose was 154 ± 34 mg/dl (8.5 ± 1.88 mmol/l) with 65.2% in the target range before Ramadan and the average sensor glucose was 156 ± 36 mg/dl (8.6 ± 2.0 mmol/l) with 67.1% in the target range during Ramadan. The incidence of hypoglycemia in the whole group (2.9 v 2.9) and in the SU+ (3.7 vs 3.0) and BI+ (1.7 vs 2.9) groups and eHbA1c (P = 0.56, P = 0.93), average glucose (P = 0.56, P = 0.92) and time within range (P = 0.63, P = 0.73) did not change in the SU+ and BI+ groups, respectively, before and during Ramadan.

CONCLUSION

Structured education with adjustment of the dose of glucose lowering medication alongside use of the FGMS can effectively mitigate the increased risk of hypoglycemia in patients with T2DM on multiple glucose-lowering therapies who fast during Ramadan.

Ramadan and diabetes: What we see, learn and understand from continuous glucose monitoring

Abstinence from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset characterizes the holy month of Ramadan. For the 50 million Muslims worldwide with diabetes who adhere to this religious fast, the practice results in marked changes in glucose homoeostasis. The sunset meal (Iftar) that breaks the fasting state is followed by exaggerated surges in blood glucose and sustained overnight hyperglycaemia in cases of nocturnal overfeeding. The predawn meal (Suhoor) frequently results in prolonged glucose decay over the daylight hours. These glycaemic disturbances are particularly marked in insulin-treated patients, in those with unsatisfactory diabetes control during the pre-Ramadan period and in patients who are poorly compliant with lifestyle recommendations. Whether such patients should be exempt from the Islamic fast remains an open debate, which might be partially resolved by long-term controlled studies using the technology of continuous glucose monitoring in large populations of patients with diabetes.