Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Feb 23;14(1):4485.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-55032-6.

Metabolomic associations of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia in type 1 diabetes

R D M Varkevisser  1 , A Cecil  2 , C Prehn  2 , D Mul  3 , H J Aanstoot  3 , A D Paterson  4   5 , B H R Wolffenbuttel  6 , M M van der Klauw  6
Affiliations

Metabolomic associations of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia in type 1 diabetes

R D M Varkevisser et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

This study investigates impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (IAH), a complication of insulin therapy affecting 20-40% of individuals with type 1 diabetes. The exact pathophysiology is unclear, therefore we sought to identify metabolic signatures in IAH to elucidate potential pathophysiological pathways. Plasma samples from 578 individuals of the Dutch type 1 diabetes biomarker cohort, 67 with IAH and 108 without IAH (NAH) were analysed using the targeted metabolomics Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ p180 assay. Eleven metabolites were significantly associated with IAH. Genome-wide association studies of these 11 metabolites identified significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in C22:1-OH and phosphatidylcholine diacyl C36:6. After adjusting for the SNPs, 11 sphingomyelins and phosphatidylcholines were significantly higher in the IAH group in comparison to NAH. These metabolites are important components of the cell membrane and have been implicated to play a role in cell signalling in diabetes. These findings demonstrate the potential role of phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelins in IAH.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of participant inclusion and exclusion, and analyses.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Volcano plot of metabolite magnitude of change. (A) Univariate linear model and (B) sex, diabetes duration and fasting glucose adjusted model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Amiel SA. The consequences of hypoglycaemia. Diabetologia. 2021;64(5):963–970. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Geddes J, et al. Prevalence of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia in adults with Type 1 diabetes. Diabet. Med. 2008;25(4):501–504. - PubMed
    1. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee, 6. Glycemic Targets: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2022. Diabetes Care, 2021. 45(Supplement_1): p. S83–S96. - PubMed
    1. Ali N, et al. Fall in prevalence of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia in individuals with type 1 diabetes. Diabet. Med. 2023;40(4):e15042. - PubMed
    1. McNeilly AD, McCrimmon RJ. Impaired hypoglycaemia awareness in type 1 diabetes: Lessons from the lab. Diabetologia. 2018;61(4):743–750. - PMC - PubMed